The Boys of Summer
by bnomiko
Summary: COMPLETE. Part of my AU, Life with Kaibaby and Yamikins. Yami and Seto go on their first vacation following their one year anniversary and run into a trio of old rivals. ShonenAi. Prideshipping SKYY SetoYami and Domashipping RafaelValonAmelda .
1. Prologue: Something Happened on the Way

Pairings: Seto + Yami, Rafael + Valon + Amelda, Malik + Bakura  
Warnings: swearing, some sexual innuendo  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is performed and recorded by Phil Collins. "That's What Friends Are For" is performed and recorded by Dionne Warwick. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

Setup for this fic:  
- AU… takes place sometime after Orichalcos Doom arc (fanfics are technically AU anyways)  
- Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto. The how and why isn't important.  
- Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi. The how and why isn't important.  
- Ages of characters: Seto and Yami are 19, Noa is 14, Mokuba is 13 going on 14. For the three swordsmen of Doom, I'm putting Rafael at 25, Amelda at 21, Valon at 19.  
- Both "Ryou" and "Bakura" throughout this story refers to Ryou Bakura, the hikari, and "Malik" refers to Malik Ishtar, the hikari.

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Prologue: Something Happened on the Way to Heaven**

* * *

Seto finally found Yami on his second sweep of the house. The former Pharaoh lay curled up like a kitten in the middle of the bedroom floor, partially concealed by piles of clothing and open suitcases.

_My God… you'd think we were leaving for a month,_ thought Seto as he surveyed the piles of clothing, accessories and various sundries. Despite his headache, he could feel his lips tugging into a smile. Yami was really excited about their pending trip and had spent the last week shopping and researching information on the city of Laguna Beach, California. Conversely, Seto spent the last week working extended hours in an attempt to tie up as many loose ends as possible at KaibaCorp, and worrying about how well Mokuba and Noa would manage during his absence. At least Yugi had agreed to stay over at the mansion for the duration of the vacation, which eased his anxieties a little.

Glancing back down at his peacefully snoozing boyfriend, Seto decided that the floor was definitely a bad place to sleep when a cozy bed lay waiting just a few feet away. He crouched down and picked up the smaller teen, who made a small mewl of protest. Amused, Seto carried Yami off to bed, then stripped himself down to his boxers and climbed in after his lover.

The young billionaire had to grudgingly admit that this vacation was probably a good idea, even though it had been sprung on him without much forewarning. He was rather tired, no… exhausted, if he were to be honest with himself. It wasn't something he had ever put much thought into before Yami came along but now, things had changed. Yami wouldn't just let him ignore his exhausted state. Spooning up behind his lover, Seto settled himself in a comfortable position and let his eyes slide shut. _I'm just resting for a minute…_ he told himself._ Not going to fall asleep._

Meanwhile, the younger duelist lay still, eyes closed, regulating his breathing until he felt Seto's body relax heavily against his back, his heartbeat inevitably slowing to match Yami's own. With one smooth movement, Yami grabbed his pillow from under his head and slid down on the bed, pulling the pillow into the gap previously inhabited by his body. Seto made a muffled sound of protest and wrapped his arms tightly around the pillow.

_Mission accomplished._ Yami got up and went right back to packing.

* * *

Mokuba and Noa snuck into the bedroom some time later, followed by a hesitant Yugi. "Good job, Yami!" Noa whispered, jerking his thumb at the sleeping figure on the bed.

Yami looked up from his travel brochures and smiled. _Told you so,_ his eyes seemed to say.

Yugi peered at the bed and resisted the urge to giggle. "He's almost cute like that, you know. Like a puppy."

Mokuba's eyes widened and he put his hand over his mouth. "Nii-sama would sooo kill you if he heard that, Yugi!" he murmured gleefully.

Yugi couldn't help but snicker softly in response. Yami put on a matching grin as he stood up slowly and stretched.

"So, almost done packing?" Noa asked. Two large packed uprights were sitting open on the floor, along with Seto's silver briefcase and a messenger bag which had a stack of brochures and maps jutting of it.

Yami nodded in affirmation and began herding the group out the door. "The zippers on the luggage are a bit noisy, and I don't want to wake Seto just yet. Let him sleep a bit longer. He's been working himself too hard lately."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and waited for Yami to shut the door behind them. "Just say it. He looks like shit," he stated flatly.

"Mokuba!" chided Noa.

"Well he does! I thought he was going to fall asleep on the lasagne last night. This vacation idea was the best idea in like… forever! Bet you're excited, huh Yami?"

Crimson eyes lit up. "Yes, I'm really looking forward to this. And Seto really needs a break, even if he won't admit to it. But I am sorry we'll be missing your birthday, Mokuba."

"Naw, don't worry about it! If Seto has a good time, that'll be the best gift of all. But if you were to bring something back with you… I wouldn't complain." The young teen winked.

"I'll bring back something for everyone." He ruffled Mokuba's hair. "Is there anything you want, Noa? Aibou?"

"Anzu would be nice," Yugi instantly responded, then he suddenly slapped his hands over his mouth.

Noa and Mokuba laughed heartily. Yami grinned. _I thought you were finally going to ask her out to a concert, Aibou, _he asked over their mind link.

_Well, I was, but, um… well, the timing was off, since I'll be here all this week. But don't even think of apologizing! I don't mind doing this at all. I'll just have to think of something for another day._

Yami resisted the urge to apologize anyways, as he did feel a little bit guilty about it. He was just about to make a suggestion when he heard Seto's voice at the back of his mind.

_Yami? _Even though his mental voice sounded tired, the crimson-eyed teen could hear his boyfriend fairly clearly. Obviously their practice over the last week and a half had paid off.

_Yes, Kai-baby? Can you hear me?_

_Mmm… Where are you? _asked Seto.

_In the hallway. I'm heading back to the bedroom right now, Baby._

_Um… I can hear you too, Yami,_ Yugi added wryly.

Oops.

* * *

Seto flopped over onto his back as Yami wandered back into the bedroom. The younger duelist sat down on the bed and smirked. "Have a good nap?"

"I wasn't planning on taking a nap, Yami," the taller teen said with a glower, but the effect was ruined when he yawned.

"I know, Kai-baby." Yami climbed over and parked himself on Seto's pillow, rolling the brunette onto his side and cradling Seto's head in his lap. Seto sighed and let Yami play with his hair and stroke his back, fingers slowly tracing around the outline of his newly healed tattoo. "I still can't believe you got this," he whispered softly.

Seto grunted. There wasn't anything else that needed to be said.

For a several minutes, Seto drowsed while Yami continued his ministrations, then reluctantly the shorter teen shook his lover's shoulder. "We have to leave in a few minutes."

"Mmm… we packed yet?" He yawned again.

"Pretty much. We just need to zip up the suitcases and I need to put some brochures back in my bag. That's it." Yami rolled out of the bed and padded over to the messenger bag on the floor.

Seto sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Okay."

"And… there's one more thing…"

"Which is?" He began fishing for his shirt.

Yami fought the urge to laugh. "Jou wanted to show us his new car, so he'll be driving us to the airport." _Three… two… one…_

"What do you mean the Mutt is driving us to the airport?" Seto exploded, practically leaping out of the bed.

"Because you didn't want to take the boys to the airport and insisted that Isono stay close by the house to keep an eye on them, and Jou was kind enough to volunteer, so I accepted," Yami explained patiently while he snapped his messenger bag shut.

"I do have other drivers and bodyguards available, you know. I'll just call…"

"I gave the rest of the staff the week off."

"You what?! You don't have the authority to…"

Yami finished zipping up their luggage and smirked. "No, but Mokuba does."

_Damn!! _"But… couldn't we just rent a…"

Mokuba suddenly burst into the room. "Nii-sama! Jou's here... uh, but put on some pants first, okay?"

Seto blanched and grabbed his pants off the floor. "Yami, please… call a cab! Call anyone! Something, anything!"

The crimson-eyed teen gave a short laugh while his boyfriend dressed hastily. "Seto, he's already here. Besides, how bad can it be?"

The taller duelist rolled his eyes. _How bad can it be? Let the Dog drive us to the airport. Blah blah blah…_

By the time the pair made it out to the front of the house, Yugi, Mokuba and Noa were already in the driveway looking at Jounouchi's new ride. The blonde had the engine running and the hood popped open and was gesticulating at some gasket or another while making twisting motions in the air with his hand.

Seto eyed the shaking charcoal gray car with trepidation. "I am NOT getting in that… that…"

"Hey, that's my Chloe you're talkin' about there. My brand new 1979 Chevy El Camino. Nice, huh?" Jou slammed the hood shut and patted it affectionately.

"Brand new?! 1979?!! Oh hell no!" Seto blurted out.

"Nii-sama!" scolded Mokuba and Noa simultaneously.

"Well I think it's great! I know you worked extra hard for it, Jou," said Yugi in all sincerity. Jou beamed proudly at his friend.

"Please, Yugi… it's an old piece of shit," Seto spat out, now glaring at the car.

Jou crossed his arms and glared back. "Hmph. Not all of us are made of money, Rich Boy. I had to get a second job at Burger World to buy this puppy. I fixed her up myself. She's an antique."

"I like it. It suits you, Jou," said Yami quickly, cutting off any retort Seto might have made. "Time for us to go. Get in, Kai-baby." He threw the luggage into the bed of the car for emphasis.

Seto just gave his lover a horrified look and clutched tightly at his briefcase. "Yami…"

"Course, if it bugs ya that much, you could always let me drive one of your cars, Kaiba."

"I'd rather eat broken glass and walk on fire, Dog." Disturbingly, the blonde only laughed at that before he got back into the car, followed shortly by a smiling Yami. Seto just gawked at them both.

"Come on, Kaiba, get in already!" Jou yelled as he revved the engine. Yami chuckled and beckoned to his boyfriend, patting the seat next to him.

"Please… kill me now," groaned Seto, gingerly stepping into the car and shutting the door.

"Bye! Have a good time!" yelled Yugi as the car began lurching away.

"Remember to call us, Nii-sama!" Mokuba and Noa added, both waving furiously.

The brunette slumped into his seat as Yami leaned over him and waved his arm out the window. He had the feeling that this was going to be the longest ride of his life.

* * *

Somewhere on the way to the airport, Seto came to the realization that the ride in the old junker could have been much more horrific. _After all, we could have been kidnapped by aliens and gotten anal probes, or a volcano could have exploded and showered us with ash and poisonous fumes so that we ended up like those stiffs in Pompeii, or…_

"Oh! I love this song!" the Mutt barked, and began howling along loudly and off-key.

_Or the Mutt could begin singing friendship songs. Fucking fantastic._

And then Yami joined in.

_This is a conspiracy. He hates me. He wants me to have a nervous breakdown. Are you listening to me, Yami?_

Yami's answering chuckle rumbled in his head. _No, I just want you to relax. We'll be at the airport in just a few minutes. _Seto looked over at his lover, who merely winked and leaned against him a little more. The brunette automatically draped an arm over Yami's shoulder in response.

"Hey now, no hanky panky in my car," said Jou, wagging a finger at the pair.

_Hanky panky? _"Oh really?" Seto sneered and began sliding his fingers under the collar of his boyfriend's shirt. Yami grinned and purred faintly.

"Quit that! I'm trying to drive here."

"I'm not doing anything to stop you from driving," the young billionaire retorted as he began nipping on Yami's ear.

"Mmm… Kai-baby…"

"No no no!" yelled Jou. He turned the radio up even louder.

Seto responded by pulling Yami's shirt up with his other hand. "Mmm, _Yami-kins_, you have such nice skin…" he cooed wickedly.

Yami's grin grew even broader until he realized something which apparently the other two hadn't. "Uh… ah… wait, Seto…"

"Stop that! I mean it!" Jou shrieked, cupping his hand against the side of his face to keep himself from accidentally seeing anything.

"Seto… Jou? Uh… I think we…"

Seto laughed evilly and began sucking noisily on Yami's ear. Jou tried to steer the car with his knee while lamely swatting at Seto's face.

Yami reluctantly pried his boyfriend off of him. "JOU! We passed our exit!"

"We… we what?" Sure enough, they had not only gone right by the exit, but were almost completely past the airport now. "Why didn't you say so earlier, buddy?"

"I was _trying_ to but… oh, nevermind!" the ex-spirit huffed, his face flushed.

Seto and Jou both began snickering at Yami. Then the two taller teens glanced at each other and suddenly burst into peals of laughter. Yami just looked at the two of them in bafflement for a moment, then smiled and joined in. It was nice seeing Jou and Seto getting along for once, even if it was at his expense.

"Well… lemme just get turned around here," Jou said between chuckles as he finally exited the freeway.

"You suck, Mutt," Seto threw out, but Yami was pleased to see that he was relaxed for once and grinning.

"Actually, you suck, Rich Boy. That's why we missed the exit. Messing with my head and all."

Seto shrugged and smirked. "Not much to mess with, is there?"

"You missed the exit too, smarty pants. So I don't even want to hear it." But despite the insults, Jou didn't seem to be too upset either.

_Huh…_ This was an interesting development. _Well, it seems like they've decided to get along for the time being._

Then Seto's smug voice floated into his head. _Hn. We're not getting along. I just need to find a better way of getting him back._

…_Seto, you weren't supposed to hear that._

Oops, again.

* * *

"Bye, Jou. Thanks again for driving us," said Yami courteously as he put his luggage onto the sidewalk in front of the departure terminals.

The blonde nodded. "No problem, Yami. Behave yourself, Rich Boy."

Seto smirked. "Go chase your tail, Dog."

"Jackass!" yelled Jou, grinning like a goof, as he pulled his car away from the sidewalk and sped off.

"I swear, some people…" Seto began to complain, but his eyes showed his amusement.

Yami nudged his lover. "Are you ready?"

"Vacation, huh…" Seto took a deep breath. It still hadn't sunk in yet. "Well… I guess. Let's go."

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):  
- I chose Laguna Beach as the vacation location because I'm decently familiar with it, and it's a nice low-key getaway locale. Also it has a large gay and lesbian scene, so I don't have to worry about how people might react to our little couple.  
- Obviously I'm playing up the mind link between Seto and Yami a bit. This was always something that fascinated me since it's actually canon. At this point in my continuum, Seto and Yami are actively working on learning how to push their thoughts at one another on a more regular basis while maintaining the privacy they desire, which is why the ability waxes and wanes and why Yugi got caught up in it. As far as the timing of this… let's just say that their one year anniversary celebration had a pretty profound effect on Seto's view of the relationship.  
- Re: Jou and his car. I gave Jou an El Camino simply because those cars always amused me, and also it forced the three of them to sit in the same row of seats. And why did I arrange for Jou to drive them to the airport? The official reason is that Yami preplanned it, because he wanted Seto to let loose a little (Seto seems to relax a bit whenever he insults Jou), but the unofficial reason is just because it was funny.  
- I was going to work in the lyrics of "The Boys of Summer" as the song Jou was singing, but I decided that wasn't torturous enough. So I decided on "That's What Friends Are For" instead since that would just drive poor Seto up the wall.  
- I'm not implying that Jou is homophobic. He's just being himself. He may not like Kaiba but he's obviously accepted the relationship by this point.  
- Just to clarify… when I wrote "Sunday Morning" I was asked why I made Seto take a commercial flight when he has his own planes. So I thought about it and I agree, he would take a private flight whenever practical and for short flights, he would definitely fly himself. But it's not always practical to charter a plane or take one's own planes (i.e. international flights that don't involve other employees of KaibaCorp). Even though Seto is prone to extravagance in many things, I don't believe that as a businessman he could justify the enormous cost of taking private planes everywhere all the time, especially for business flights. In this case, since this is a vacation set up by Mokuba, Noa and Yugi, I'm having Yami and Seto take a commercial flight from the airport because that's how the trio set it up. Don't think this means that they aren't getting the best accommodations possible; of course they're flying first class.


	2. Ch 1: Bizarre Love Triangle

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Bizarre Love Triangle" is performed and recorded by New Order. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- Re: mind link - I've played with it a bit more in this chapter, and will continue to do so throughout the length of this fic. And I have something special planned for a future chapter which will involve Yugi as well, which will be awesome if I can get the scene worked out to my satisfaction.

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 1: Bizarre Love Triangle**

* * *

Yami decided that jet lag and time zones were a truly evil combination. If he were in Domino, it would be sometime between midnight and 6:00 AM. But in sunny Southern California, it was 11:00 AM according to the annoying bedside clock, and Seto was up and talking about breakfast.

With a groan, the shorter teen flopped back down on the bed and buried his head under a pillow to block out the bright light streaming in through the French doors.

"Yami, get up! I already made reservations for brunch." The bed creaked as Seto dropped his weight onto it.

"Noo… fugoff… tooerly…"

Seto rolled his eyes and ripped the covers off of his lover, then threw the pillow aside as well. The former Pharaoh lay on his stomach, arms over his head, still moaning pathetically.

"Yami…" The brunette ran his fingers up his boyfriend's leg, snaking a hand under rumpled boxers to caress a firm asscheek. When Yami refused to respond, Seto pulled his hand back out and smacked him hard across the rump. Yami let out a muffled yelp and raised his head slowly to give Seto a bleary, half-hearted glare.

"… jackass…"

Seto smirked and began barking out orders. "It's 11:00 AM. Get used to it. You need to be up and dressed in the next twenty minutes. I wrote up an itinerary this morning for the things we need to accomplish…"

Yami's brain shut down again as Seto went down his list of things-to-do. _Stupid itinerary… only Seto would try to run a vacation like a business meeting. _"Okay, okay, I'll get up," he grumbled.

Seto's brow shot up and his mouth snapped shut for a moment. "You… were you even listening to a thing I said?"

"Yeah, whatever…" mumbled Yami, throwing one of Seto's favorite retorts back in his face. Yawning mightily, the ex-spirit managed to swing his legs over the edge of the bed just before a handful of clothing smacked him in the face. "Omphh…"

"Don't whatever me… get dressed! I'm not going to be late just because you can't get your ass out of bed."

Yami's eye twitched as he began haphazardly pulling his top on. _Must resist urge to Mind Crush boyfriend… must get boyfriend some caffeine… _

"Oh for crying out loud… Here." Seto yanked off the sleeveless hoodie that Yami had inadvertently put on inside out, then just as rapidly pulled it back over Yami's head. Yami glowered at the rough treatment. "Please tell me you can manage your pants yourself."

The ex-spirit considered responding with some choice curse words, but squelched the urge at the last minute and instead resigned himself to putting on his denim shorts. "So where are we going?" he asked, still sounding a bit slow.

"A place called Las Brisas. It's practically next door. The concierge said it's very popular for brunch."

"And how long have you been up?"

"Since 6:00 AM. I've been working on our itinerary, like I was saying." He pointed at his laptop, which was surrounded by piles of brochures, on the glass table in the other room. .

"It's a vacation, Kai-baby. We don't need you working, and we don't need an itinerary. The brochures were just there for ideas." Yami shuffled into the living area and headed for the computer.

Seto followed and continued on as if Yami hadn't said anything. "I've purchased tickets for the Pageant of the Masters for tomorrow night. And for this afternoon I have… What the hell are you doing?"

"Hmm…" Yami frowned at the computer for a long moment, then clicked on a file and hit the _Shift _and _Delete_ keys just as Seto came up behind him. "There."

"What? … You DELETED my itinerary? What the fuck?" Seto pushed past Yami and glared at the screen, as if that would automatically restore the missing file. "Well, lucky for your ass I know how to dig up so-called deleted files…"

"Seto, just leave it," snapped Yami, now irked enough to let his temper show. "Let's go eat."

"Oh, aren't we all bright and sunny this morning?"

_Something about black pots and kettles… What was the saying? _"I… you… argh!" Yami grabbed his sandals and went to storm out of the room, but Seto suddenly grabbed his arm and spun him into a tight embrace.

_It's "pot calling the kettle black," Yami, and I… I don't mean to be so difficult in the morning. You know that. I didn't sleep well. And yes, I already had a cup of coffee but it tasted like shit._ He planted a kiss on Yami's forehead.

_I know, Baby_. Placated, Yami smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around his lover, dropping his sandals onto the floor. _And I hope for both our sakes that this restaurant has coffee that doesn't taste like shit._

* * *

By 11:30 the pair was standing outside of the lobby of the restaurant and true to concierge's warning, it was extremely crowded and busy. Even with their reservations they would have to wait for a table. So while Seto leaned against the wall with a disinterested look on his face, Yami leaned against him and watched as cars piled up in front of the restaurant, dropping off and picking up passengers.

"Well I'll be… Amelda was right! I should've recognized that hair earlier," came a cheerful, heavily accented voice from the direction of the restaurant's patio.

Yami and Seto both turned their heads to see a familiar grinning brunette approach them. "Valon? What are you doing here?" asked Yami, automatically stepping away from his boyfriend. Seto slapped a hand on Yami's shoulder and held him in place, a gesture which the crimson-eyed teen acknowledged with a crooked grin.

"What am I doing here? Well, I live here! What're you blokes doing here?"

"Wait… did you say Amelda?" asked Seto, echoing Valon's earlier remark. The Australian gave a slight nod and swept his hand out towards the patio, where Amelda and Rafael sat at the bar. The two men raised their drinks in response.

Yami waved back briefly, then turned to Valon. "I see… well, we're on vacation."

Valon blinked at the insinuation and stepped in a bit closer, taking in the way Seto's hand rested on Yami's shoulder and the SETO nameplate on Yami's collar. If it were anyone other pair, he wouldn't have been so surprised, but to see that the Pharaoh had hooked up with his dueling rival was something he never would have expected. In a hushed voice, he said, "To be honest, I didn't know you swung that way, Pharaoh."

"Well, apparently you swing all ways," Yami chuckled in response, and it was Seto's turn to look surprised.

Valon grinned smugly, but didn't deny the accusation. "Aw, now, don't be a whacker. And to think, I was just going to invite you to eat with us," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flashing, buzzing pager.

"We already have reservations," Seto began saying, but Valon interrupted him while waving his pager in the air at his teammates.

"Ah hell, guess you don't know. All reservations mean is they'll seat you sometime today. We had a reservation at 10:45. So don't be shy. Eat with us. We won't bite."

Yami turned around to face Seto and idly began playing with the buttons on his shirt. _Might as well… what could it hurt?_

_Hn. Next thing you know they'll want to show us around or something._

_That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Besides, the faster we get some coffee in you, the more tolerable you'll be._

_Whatever._

Valon stared at the pair in bafflement as they stood facing each other in silence, then finally Yami turned and responded with a nod. "All right, we accept your invitation. Thank you."

The Aussie brightened up. "You're welcome."

They joined Amelda and Rafael in the lobby while Valon turned in his pager and Seto's as well. The two older former members of Doom each gave polite nods in greeting as the hostess led them to a table with a nice view of the ocean. She brought over an extra chair and passed out the menus, then disappeared.

"It's good to see you again, Pharaoh," Rafael said as Yami sighed at the beautiful ocean view.

"Hm? Oh, please, call me Yami."

"Yami? Doesn't that mean 'darkness?'"

Yami smirked and gave a slight nod. The irony wasn't lost on anyone present.

"So, Yami, Kaiba… are you two here on business?" Amelda asked.

"They're on vacation _together_," Valon answered smugly, putting his hand on top of Amelda's.

"Oh? Then does this mean…" Amelda's eyes widened as Seto slung an arm around Yami's shoulders and smirked. "Well, congratulations."

"Hn." Seto mumbled dismissively just as the server came by to introduce himself and take their orders. "Yami, what do you want?"

Yami quickly scanned over the neglected menu. "Uh… just anything that's not too heavy."

"He'll have the Crepas de Laguna with chicken and an orange juice. I'll have the Filete Tierno de Res and coffee."

"And bring the coffee as soon as possible, please," Yami added in, grinning.

* * *

Seto found himself relaxing with the influx of caffeine while the others prattled on about various things. So far he had learned that the Doom trio were now working at the new Industrial Illusions headquarters as game testers, had purchased a duplex right up against the beach, hated their current neighbors, and that Pegasus bought on a ranch out in Trabuco Canyon, wherever that was. Oh, and also that they were all involved some sort of bizarre love triangle - not that he hadn't all ready figured that out considering the fact that Amelda was now leaning on Rafael's shoulder and Valon was now sipping at Amelda's drink. In fact, he saw no reason to join in on the conversation until his prediction came true: Valon suddenly suggested that they "show them around town" for the next few days.

"No, absolutely not," he practically snarled as Yami and the Doom trio began making plans.

Not surprisingly, Yami rolled his eyes and began arguing back. "Seto, I think it's a great idea. It's not like we have an itinerary. And this way we can avoid tourist traps and…"

"We _would_ have an itinerary if _someone_ hadn't deleted it off my computer."

Yami just glared at him for a moment, then his face softened and he began to chuckle. "Guilty as charged." _I'll make it up to you, Kai-baby._

_You can make it up to me by giving me a day to arrange a meeting with Pegasus._

_Seto, no! This is supposed to be a vacation; you need to get your mind off of work!_

Seto ground his teeth and tried to suppress the urge to throttle his impractical boyfriend. _It'll be an informal meeting. It'll keep me from having to fly out here again next month, _he suggested, trying for a different approach.

_Kai-baby…_

_Yami, please._ Great. It only took Yami a few sentences to reduce him to begging.

Yami sighed aloud. _You get one hour on one day._

_Three hours, at least. But I'll agree to one day only._

_Two hours and not a minute more. And one day only. Or I'm calling Mokuba and Noa and letting them chew you out instead._

_Fuck… playing dirty, Yami? _"Fine! Whatever." He slammed his coffee cup down and motioned to the server for a refill. Everyone gave him a weird look as he started on his fourth cup of coffee.

"So…" Yami began again. "What were you suggesting, Valon?"

Valon shook his head, suppressing a laugh. Every time the pair blanked out they would get the oddest looks on their faces, as if they were communicating telepathically or something. Actually, considering the legendary powers of the Pharaoh, maybe it wasn't that farfetched. "Er… right. Well, I figure each of us could take a day off…" and he gestured at Rafael and Amelda, "and take the pair of you around to our favorite spots. So for example, I would probably elect to take you out in the harbor on my boat, the Phoenix Gravitation."

"That sounds nice," mused Yami as the food began arriving. "Well, Seto?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled, grabbing his silverware in frustration. "But not today."

The ex-spirit shrugged gracefully. "Coffee not kicking in yet?"

"Hn. Jet lag."

"Ah… well, we'll keep our activities light today then. Maybe we can stop by the Laguna Art Museum next door after brunch, how about that? Rafael said it's not too big so it shouldn't take long."

"Hmph." But he nodded anyways, and started slicing up his filet mignon.

* * *

The rest of brunch slipped by at a fast clip, but to Seto it might as well have been a million years. Despite five cups of coffee, he was mentally wandering. He wasn't even sure if he had accidentally eaten the zucchini on his plate or if Yami had nabbed it first. All he wanted to do was pay the bill and go back to the hotel to sleep. But of course, Yami refused to leave without dessert of some sort, and Seto found himself thinking that between Yami and Noa's sweet tooths, the sugar suppliers around the world would never go out of business.

Eventually, dessert came in the form of coconut flan, and was instantly attacked by Yami, Amelda and Valon. Seto pulled himself together enough to pay the bill for the entire table, despite Rafael's insistence that it wasn't necessary, and after they all exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, the two groups parted ways for the day and Yami and Seto headed next door to the Laguna Art Museum.

Although Rafael was right about the size of the museum, Seto couldn't get through it fast enough. At least Yami kept him upright by yanking him from room to room, with murmured promises of "I know you're tired… we'll head back to the hotel as soon as possible." That was until they wandered into an exhibition called "The Art of Erotica." After a wide-eyed Yami studied the rather suggestive photographs displayed in the room, he suddenly latched onto Seto and said, "Back to the hotel now, okay?"

Seto nodded absentmindedly as his shorter boyfriend rapidly marched them out of the museum and down the sidewalk to their hotel next door. By the time the pair made it back up to their suite, Seto was more than ready to curl up on the bed and sleep the rest of the day away. But from the way that Yami suddenly began kissing him and tearing at his clothes, it was obvious that the crimson-eyed teen had other plans.

"By the Eye of Horus, Kai-baby, you won't believe how horny I am…" Yami murmured as he tried to maneuver his taller lover towards the bedroom. They ended up thumping into the doorjamb.

"Ow. If I knew museums got you… so worked up, I'd have bought you one… long ago," Seto panted in return, more from exhaustion than arousal, as he felt his way past the door. When had his shirt become unbuttoned? _Must find the bed,_ he thought as his legs began to wobble.

"Wasn't… the museum." _Bed's behind you, Kai-baby._

"Maybe something… in the museum? Perhaps… 'The Art of Erotica?' They should have just… called it 'Homoerotic Porn.'" He chuckled softly.

"Yes, they should have," Yami agreed with a grin. He backed Seto up until the back of the taller duelist's knees hit the bed, and both teens tumbled onto the mattress. "Shut up and kiss me again."

The young billionaire responded with a quick kiss, then breathed, "I know you don't want to hear this, Yami. But I just want to sleep."

"Sleep later." Yami began working on undoing Seto's khakis, then looked up to see a pair of glazed blue eyes watching him unsteadily. "Are… you really are that tired, aren't you?"

"Mmm. Too horny to notice?" Yami lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "Ow."

"Not funny." Of course, the King of Games was never easily deterred, especially when he had a goal in mind. Tapping his lips with his fingers in thought, Yami finally said, "All right, you just lie there. I'll do all the work. Be right back!" He bounced off the bed and began rooting through their luggage.

"Huh?" Seto felt his eyelids sliding shut.

(Lemon deleted for ffnet - summary is Yami and Seto have sex and Seto passes out afterwards from exhaustion)

Yami thought about what he ought to do with the rest of the day. Apparently Seto was going to sleep, which was more than fine with him. And in Domino it would be around 7:00 AM, so he supposed he could call and talk to the boys.

He took his phone out onto the balcony and shut the French doors behind him. While the phone auto-dialed the number, he took in a deep breath of the pungent sea air and swept his gaze out over the ocean. It really was a lovely view…

"Hi Yami! How's it going?" asked a cheerful voice.

"Hi Mokuba. You won't believe who we ran into today..."

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):  
- All the locations and points-of-interest in this fic are real; I wanted to keep the setting as authentic as possible.  
- I selected The Inn at Laguna Beach due to its location. I don't know what type of rooms they may have, so I just made up a suite layout, giving Yami and Seto a living / dining room, separate bedroom, and 2 balconies overlooking the beach. Nothing extravagant... remember that they didn't book the room themselves.  
- Las Brisas is a very popular restaurant and always quite busy. So it's not impossible that our pair of tourists would run into the Doom trio there. I exaggerated the wait times in order to force Seto and Yami to eat with the Doom boys.  
- I don't know if Valon is actually supposed to be Australian, nor do I care… I'm going off his dubbed voice. I like him as an Aussie ^^ And yes, he's my favorite of the three, so he'll probably get more dialogue and development than the other two. Also Amelda's probably going to be OOC in this story – basically I'm making his personality fit his appearance (so he's going to be a bit more girly). But I'll try not to stray too far.  
- Industrial Illusions is actually supposed to be located in the Bay Area, so you'll just have to play along with the fact that I've relocated the headquarters to Southern California instead.  
- I actually had more stuff I could have written, however this chapter was starting to get longer than I intended, so some of the restaurant conversation and the entire museum trip pretty much got axed in favor of a little lemon which I decided to add in at the last moment. And I completely made up the museum exhibit which got Yami all worked up… the Laguna Art Museum wouldn't have an exhibit of that sort ^_^;


	3. Ch 2: One for My Baby

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. " One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" is performed and recorded by Bette Midler. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 2: One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)**

* * *

The following day, Seto was up again at the crack of dawn, but in a much better mood. He mused that sleeping for some 15 hours straight would have that sort of effect on anyone.Slipping himself out of bed quietly so as to not wake his still sleeping lover, he pulled on his robe and headed out to the balcony off the living area of their suite. The sun was already melting away the hazy morning mist, and the waves lazily crashed into the sand just beyond the hotel.

_Yami's right about the view. This isn't bad. I need coffee._

Seto headed back in and peeked in on Yami. The ex-spirit was curled up under a mountain of sheets. _Good. Maybe I can get some work done while I'm out. _Satisfied that his boyfriend would continue to sleep for several more hours, the brunette quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a pine green long-sleeved shirt, grabbed his laptop and cellphone, and headed out to find a coffee shop.

* * *

Yami awoke to the aroma of coffee and the weight of Seto's body pressed against his back. The taller teen was running his fingers through ebony and crimson spikes of hair. "Mmm, morning, Kai-baby."

"Finally up, hmm?"

"Already got coffee?" Yami's nose wrinkled a little. He couldn't help but equate the aroma of coffee to his caffeine-addicted lover.

"Yeah." Seto paused to nuzzle Yami's neck. "And Rafael emailed me, said he's going to take the day off tomorrow and show us some place called the Getty Center. It's a museum or something. He also suggested we check out some of the local art festivals today, and recommended a place called Splashes for dinner."

Yami rubbed at his eyes. "Mmhmm… that sounds nice. Wait a minute." The shorter teen's brow furrowed in thought. "Coffee… computer… you've been working, haven't you?" He rolled over and squinted at his lover.

_Yes. _"No."

"Seto!"

"I just set up a meeting with Pegasus, okay? Like we agreed upon."

"Uh huh. And if I were to check your emails that's all I'd see?"

"Sure." Yami rolled out of bed and began stomping towards the other room. "God, Yami, don't have a fucking fit. I just… I couldn't help it, all right?"

"Vacation, Seto. Try looking it up in a dictionary!"

The older teen scowled. "What else was I supposed to do while you were sleeping? Watch TV? Twiddle my thumbs? Duel myself?"

Yami sighed. It was a stupid argument to get into. "Just… try waking me up next time. We can go for a walk on the beach or something. Okay?"

"A walk on the beach? How corny. This isn't one of those dime store romance novels."

"Okay… we can have wild, crazy, kinky sex until we wear out the mattress springs and are forced to use the sofa instead. Better?" He winked and Seto's eyebrow twitched. The taller duelist strode forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"What a romantic. What would I do without you, _Yami-kins_?"

_Uh, masturbate? A lot?_ Seto frowned and lightly whapped the back of Yami's head. _Er, ouch?_

_You better get dressed before I take you up on your wild, crazy, kinky offer._ Seto finished up the thought by nipping at Yami's ear.

Yami grinned and gasped, "Oh no! Baby, I don't remember where I put any of my clothing."

"Really? Too bad for you," said Seto, then he hauled the protesting shorter teen over his shoulder and carried him back to the bed.

* * *

By the time the two finally got dressed and ready to go, they decided to follow Rafael's advice and visit two of the local art festivals, Art-a-Fair and the Sawdust Festival. They were both located in Laguna Canyon, only a short drive from Main Beach, and were conveniently situated side-by-side. And Seto had already purchased tickets for the Pageant of the Masters across the street for later that evening, as well as made reservations for the recommended restaurant, so their day was set.

But Yami was infinitely happier about the fact that Seto was holding onto his hand as they strolled through Art-a-Fair, then headed to the Sawdust Festival. They browsed the various stalls of artwork and shared a burrito and ice cream for lunch. _The anniversary really did us a world of good. Great Amun, I guess I really owe Yugi, Mokuba, Noa and the others. _The memories of their anniversay made him smile. "Kai-baby, you think we could find anything here for Yugi and the others?"

Seto was examining a large sculpture of an unicorn made from a mix of metal objects. "Hmm? Eh, whatever you want. Hey, who runs this booth?" A man raised his hand and stepped out from behind the counter. "You do custom work?"

"Sure do. Whatcha lookin' for?"

"Can you do a dragon? A really large dragon?"

_Blue eyes, Kai-baby?_

_Am I that obvious? _Seto replied dryly.

Yami projected his smile into Seto's mind even as his lover began conversing with the sculptor. _I'm going to look around for a little bit._

_All right. I'll let you know when I'm done. Might take a little time though._ He began to fish out his Duel Monsters deck from his pocket.

Yami wandered off and began picking out a few things for Yugi-tachi. He found a small Impressionistic painting of a ballerina for Anzu, a crochet purse for Shizuka, a black Hawaiian shirt with a motorcycle print for Honda and another Hawaiian shirt, this time red with dice and other gambling paraphernalia, for Otogi. And for himself, a gold ear cuff shaped into an ankh.

By the time Seto tracked him down, Yami was in the process of getting a henna tattoo done around his ankle. The brunette did a double take at the design… his lover was getting the kanji for 'Kaiba Seto' drawn on his ankle. "You like?"

"You just can't resist putting my mark all over yourself, hmm?" said Seto, tapping the nameplate on Yami's collar, then sliding his hand possessively over the shorter duelist's left shoulder blade. Yami grinned at the show of affection, his eyes blazing.

The mehndi artist working on the design looked up and beamed at them. "Oh, so you're the boyfriend. You're so handsome… I'm jealous! You two are just too cute with the matching belt buckle and collar thingie…" she cooed.

_Seto, do NOT snarl, growl, threaten or yell at her, _Yami quickly told his boyfriend.

_Why the hell is she squealing at us?_

_Baby, she just asked what the kanji meant. So I told her… and maybe I included a little background info too._

The young billionaire's lips were already curled back by this point, but instead of pressing the issue he stomped off to inspect the neighboring booths. At the next stall down, brightly painted cars cut out of wooden planks were displayed, and Seto took one down off the wall and scrutinized it. "Yami. Doesn't this look like the Mutt's shitmobile?"

Yami turned his head, frowning at Seto's choice of wording. "Yeah, I guess it does. What was it again?"

"An El Camino. Let's get this." Yami's brows shot up. _What?_

_Uh… well, I kinda expected you to pick something dog related…_

Seto gave him an amused smile. _Would you rather I get something dog related?_

_No! That's not the… I think I'll stop while I'm ahead._

_Good idea._

The mehndi artist suddenly slapped Yami on the calf. "Okay, all done!" she announced cheerfully. Seto scowled darkly at her while Yami thanked her and picked up all the things he had chosen for his friends thus far.

He showed all the items to Seto and asked, "But what should I get Yugi? And we still have Malik, Bakura, Mai, Noa and Mokuba on the list."

The taller duelist shrugged. "Let me worry about my brothers. I don't care what you get Mai. And I already have something in mind for Malik and Bakura."

"Oh really? Hmm… you think Yugi would wear a necklace?" Yami walked over to a display of silver necklaces, and began chuckling at designs. Each necklace featured a tiny silver plate in the center with different words engraved into it.

Seto leaned against Yami and peered over his shoulder. "How should I know? He's your aibou."

"Kai-baby… help me find one that describes Yugi. Let's see… 'Dreamer,' 'Luv to Shop,' 'Sweetie Pie,' 'Awesome'…"

"Oh, 'Sweetie Pie' does it for me. Or is there one that says 'Shrimp' or 'Runt?'"

"Kaiba." Yami narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Hn. Fine. How about 'Light?'" Seto reached out and snagged a necklace, dangling it in front of Yami.

"Wow. That's perfect, don't you think? Or… how about a bracelet instead?" He held up a bronze cuff bracelet made to resemble a thick, flat, knotted cord.

"Or how about both?"

"Aww, Kai-baby, you're being so generous today!" Yami rubbed up against Seto's arm like a satisfied cat.

Seto quirked a lopsided smile in response and drew his boyfriend up against his body. "Sure, whatever. Are we done here? I have a sorta surprise for you."

* * *

Yami dug through the bags holding their purchases while Seto cruised down Pacific Coast Highway in their rental car, a dark purple Prowler roadster. "Well, at least that takes care of most of Yugi-tachi. So where are we going, anyways?"

"Hn." Seto seemed to be looking for a certain address, but refused to reveal what exactly it was that he was searching for.

"Are we actually looking for some place in particular?"

Seto suddenly broke into a brilliant grin. "Found it!" He pointed at a storefront, which was half-visible from the highway.

The crimson-eyed duelist blinked. "Kai-baby, that's an adult shop."

"I know. Surprise. We owe Malik and Bakura a proper thank you, don't you think?"

Yami laughed. "I see… well, I have to agree with you on that one. Let's go!"

* * *

(This scene is edited for ffnet.)

"Heh. Check this out, Yami." Seto removed a box from the upper shelf and handed it to the shorter teen.

"Holy shit, Seto, this thing is huge!" Yami gaped at the box until Seto took it away from him.

"No, I won't buy you one. But it's perfect for those two dweebs." His eyes lit up in amusement. "What else should we get? Go look for something."

"By Ra!" Yami couldn't help but laugh. He loved Seto's wicked sense of humor. "Hmm… how about this?"

"Hn. I guess that'll do as well, though I doubt either one of those guys would know what the hell it is." He took the package and tossed it in the basket and continued browsing. Yami followed close behind, though he was more interested in finding things for his own use. "You think they'd have a use for this? He picked up another package."

"Baby, they won't have a use for any of this. You're just being mean."

The brunette shrugged. "Gee, you figured me out. Yes or no?"

"Yes, of course. Oooh, let's get this for me." Yami practically shoved the clear cylindrical display box into Seto's face. "I love these. This one has a red crystal in the base, see? It matches my eyes. And we can see if there's a blue one for you too."

Seto chuckled. "Yami, you're insane. You're like a kid in a… hmm…"

"Toy store?" The shorter teen grinned evilly and began rooting through the boxes until he found one with a blue crystal base. Both boxes went into the basket.

"I'm still looking for a pump. Where the fuck did they put those?"

"Uh, sirs? Do you need some help?" asked an employee who emerged from the back room.

"Enlargement pumps…" Seto began saying, then he blanched and quickly added, "Not for me, of course."

"Oh, of course," said the man. "They're here at the back wall." Seto wandered over to the section that the man had indicated.

_He doesn't believe you, Kai-baby._

_Whatever. It's none of his business anyways. Help me pick one out._

_Just grab one… does it matter?_

_Guess not._ The young billionaire reached out and snagged a smoky gray model which came with a video instruction guide. "Anything or anyone else we need to shop for?"

"Uh… not really. There's Mai still, but we're not going to get her something from here."

"Why not?" Then Seto's face broke out in a grin so wide that Yami was almost startled at the sight. "I know what to get her. I know I saw… aha!"

"Err… what's Mai going to do with… oh no! Seto Kaiba, you wouldn't!"

The brunette ignored him. "Do you see anything else dog related? Other than collars, cause that's your thing." He raised his voice and called out, "Hey, guy who works here, anything dog related that's not a collar?"

"Uh… 'I Rub My Doggie?'" The man walked over to the other side of the store, picked up a cellophane bagged item, and showed it to Seto and Yami.

"Aww, it's cute!" Yami exclaimed with a laugh. His boyfriend rolled his eyes.

"It's pretty easy to use. Stick in the battery, squeeze the head, and away it goes," the employee explained. Seto just snatched the bag from the man's hand and examined it more closely.

"Yeah yeah. I don't care how it works. At least it sorta looks like the Mutt, except I always thought of him more as a Golden Retriever rather than whatever this is supposed to be. Oh well, good enough. This takes Mai off the list."

"Seto, they're not even… I mean…" Yami couldn't stop laughing.

"They both need to get a clue. And that's precisely what I'm doing."

_I thought it was Noa, Mokuba and Yugi's job to play matchmaker._

_Peh… I'm not playing matchmaker. I'm only doing this because I want to see the look on the Mutt's face when she opens the package._

_Okay, Kai-baby. Whatever you say. I still think it's sweet. Obscene, but sweet._

_Yeah, whatever._

* * *

After heading back to the hotel to drop off their purchases for the day, Yami and Seto changed into matching dupioni silk suits and drove a few miles south to Splashes at the Surf & Sand Resort for an early dinner.

"Wow," was all Yami could say as they were led to a table directly in front of a huge open window overlooking a stretch of beach with waves breaking furiously on the rocks. He could actually taste the salt in the breeze and feel the light spray of sea mist on his skin. "Rafael has great taste."

"Hn. Apparently he's the only one… Valon would rather barbecue, and Amelda prefers little cafes and such."

"So you _were_ paying attention during brunch!"

The brunette snorted. "Of course. Don't ever underestimate me, Yami."

Yami's eyes glittered in the late afternoon sunlight. "Believe me, I never have, and I never will," he stated softly, slipping Seto an enigmatic smile.

Seto stared at his boyfriend. He suddenly became keenly aware of the rush of waves on the beach below, and the sound of his heart as it began beating again. Yami sure knew how to pick his moments and from the look on his face, he knew it. Fumbling for words, the young billionaire scowled and forced himself to look down at his menu instead, his face flushing slightly. _Let's see… Confit of Veal, Horseradish Encrusted Ahi, Roasted Chicken Pot au Feu… God, stop staring at me, Yami!_

Across the table, the shorter teen was still smiling. Seto didn't realize how attractive he was when he was flustered; Yami just couldn't resist knocking him off balance at least once a day. But he had no intention of keeping the older duelist on edge for too long. "Today was nice, wasn't it? When was the last time you had such a relaxing day?"

Blue eyes flickered up. "Give it a rest, Yami. I'm fine with my work schedule."

"I know your company means a lot to you. And I don't mind the hours you keep. But once in a while you need a break like this."

"Hmph. The next thing you'll suggest is that we invest in some beachfront property," said Seto dismissively. Yami suddenly gave him the biggest shit-eating grin. "Uh…"

"That's a great idea, Kai-baby!" Amused crimson eyes met stormy blue ones. "Oh come on, it is! And next time we can bring Yugi-tachi with us."

Seto's cheeks paled. "No!"

"At least think about it."

"There is _nothing_ to think about."

Yami began to pout, then thought better of it and ended up drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "I'll change your mind before this day is through."

"Heh. I'll give you an eternity to try… it's not going to happen."

"I see." Yami said neutrally, though Seto's choice of the word "eternity" made him a bit giddy. Shifting attention from the topic for a moment, he bounced in his seat and asked, "So, are you looking forward to tonight?"

"Sure…" _Why is he suddenly acting like a rabbit?_

"I need to break you out of your habit of responding with things like 'hn,' 'sure,' and 'whatever.' Now, are you looking forward…"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to this Pageant of the Masters thing. Is that better, oh _great Pharaoh_?" _Boing boing goes the Yami-bunny. Pharaoh Bunny-kins… ha. _Seto shook his head; he really had to stop equating his lover to various cute and cuddly woodland creatures.

Yami's eyes crinkled at the corners, blonde bangs swaying becomingly in the breeze. "Yes."

"Huh?" _Yes? Yes what?_ "Uh… yeah..." He totally lost his train of thought. What was more disturbing was that the crimson-eyed teen just grinned knowingly at him.

"Now, about that vacation house…"

_Did I NOT just get through saying no to his stupid idea? _He opened his mouth to make a snappy comeback when Yami suddenly turned his gaze out to the ocean and for a moment, the fading summer sun and blue ocean were reflected in his eyes as the sea breeze ruffled the spikes of his tri-colored hair. The brunette just gaped at the surreal scene. _Uhh... damn. Maybe a beach house wouldn't be so bad after all. I certainly can't complain about the view._

Yami turned back to face his lover and winked. _Thank you, Baby._

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):   
- This chapter is dedicated to KnY's Dragon… thanks for letting me bounce ideas off of you! The doggie is for you _mwah_  
- Yes, the cruelty! I hadn't planned on a lemon for this chapter so I didn't write out the morning bedroom scene. Use your imaginations :)  
- Re: Laguna Beach art festivals. I've never been to Art-a-Fair, but from what I understand it's similar to Sawdust. All the things I've described (or variations thereof) are sold at one or the other.  
- For the purposes of the fic I simply made up an adult store shop. The toys featured in this fic are all real and came from a mishmash of online shops, namely Blowfish, Good Vibrations, and Kitten's Toy Room, with the exception of the "I Rub My Doggie." I made that up just to suit the story (there's Duckie, Fishie and Wormie versions, but no Doggie).  
- I'm trying not to obsess over where and when Yami and Seto eat, but I had to include Splashes somewhere in the story and it fit well here. During the day, you can eat on a patio which is literally a few feet from the sand, and at night, you dine indoors. In some sections they open the French windows and yes, you can actually feel the sea spray even if you're sitting in the back of the room. But realistically, they usually have a reservation list two weeks out… obviously I ignored that little issue for the story.  
- Re: Pageant of the Masters. I've never had a chance to see this, so I pretty much just mentioned it because it's an important festival in Laguna Beach. What it is is a stage show which uses real people in makeup and costume on a large stage with a backdrop to temporarily recreate famous paintings and works of art.  
- Eww… what a sappy ending to this chapter. But Yami certainly is gifted in the art of manipulation, isn't he?


	4. Ch 3: A Whiter Shade of Pale

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. " A Whiter Shade of Pale" is performed and recorded by Procol Harum. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- Re: Cookies LOL (Angelic Moon) - I deserve a cookie now! Sorry for the slow update :/

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 3: A Whiter Shade of Pale**

* * *

Yami and Seto arranged to meet Rafael in front of the hotel at 9:00 AM for the drive up to the Getty Center. The burly blonde showed up moments after they stepped out onto the sidewalk in a dark blue Mercedes-Benz CLK500 Cabriolet with the top down, and nodded briefly at his guests after they climbed into the back seat. "Just a word of warning. We're going to get caught in some nasty traffic. There's a SigAlert for an accident on the 405 at the 55 and then another one up past Long Beach, so we're in for a long drive."

Seto waved his hand dismissively and Yami just shrugged. "We'll still get there sometime today, right?"

"I hope so," said Rafael dryly. "You two already eat breakfast?"

"Fuck breakfast. We need coffee," Seto snarled.

The former Doom member smiled thinly. "No argument there. Anything else?"

"No. Less talk, more go." Seto kicked the seat in front of him and Rafael was suddenly glad that the former Pharaoh was seated behind him instead. It was going to be a long drive, but at least it wouldn't be murder on his back.

* * *

Caught in the middle of the worst looking traffic Yami had ever seen, the convertible crawled along all the way up to Los Angeles. Rafael was too busy weaving in and out of lanes to talk and Seto was just being his usual grumpy morning self, so Yami attempted to fill in the silence by commenting on the crush of cars and pointing out various sights along the way.

As he sipped at a triple espresso, Seto idly wondered how long Yami could talk for without having to take a breath. Breathing was overrated, he decided. Oxygen was overrated. He held his breath for several seconds then sucked in a fresh lungful of air and held it a little longer.

"Seto, you're starting to turn blue, you know that?" Yami pointed out after a minute.

He released the stale air he was holding in his lungs and panted a little. "Whatever."

Yami's brow furrowed. "What were you doing?"

"I was wondering if I could go without oxygen longer than you. Apparently not."

"Huh?"

In the driver's seat, Rafael quirked an eyebrow at the rear-view mirror but didn't comment, although he was amused. The two younger duelists had changed a lot since he saw them last. Of course, at the time, they were trying to save the world from Dartz's deranged plans, so he supposed that building a relationship had not been first and foremost on their minds. After all, he hadn't considered the possibility of forming a romantic relationship with his own former teammates until Dartz was defeated and they were suddenly faced with the prospect of building a future for themselves without his influence.

Yami's voice cut through Rafael's musings. "Isn't that it?" the ex-spirit asked, leaning slightly against the back of Rafael's seat and pointing out a series of white buildings that practically glowed against the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the freeway.

"Yes, that's the Getty. We'll be getting off at the next exit," the blonde answered, moving over a lane. He exited less than a mile later and pulled into a underground parking structure nestled into the base of the hills. They traveled into the lower levels of the structure before finding an available spot, then took the elevator up to the automated tram that carried passengers up the slope to the Center itself. After several minutes, they finally stepped out into the arrival plaza of the Getty Center.

Yami gave a low whistle in appreciation. The Getty was made up of several clusters of buildings on a manicured landscape, the off-white stone of the walls glowing in the hot California sun. "How can they afford to run this place and not charge admission?"

"I believe this Center is funded by the J. Paul Getty trust. When Getty died in 1976 he was the wealthiest man in the world and I guess he was really into art and culture, so he left most of his fortune to the trust in order to make his collections available to the public. And to think… I'm worth more now than Getty was when he was the wealthiest man alive. What a difference 30 years makes," Seto stated softly, but with obvious pride in his voice.

"Ever think of building a museum, Kai-baby?" The brunette dipped his head and merely smirked in response.

Rafael just nodded his head briefly in agreement with Seto's earlier statement. "All right, I suggest we start with the gardens because I already made lunch reservations for 12:30, so we only have a half-hour to kill."

Seto shrugged, which the blonde took as a sign of acceptance, so he led them past several buildings and fountains and towards the "scenic route" leading to the central garden. They began walking down a narrow zigzagging path that was walled in by high travertine tiled walls, which started ringing harmoniously as Rafael smacked his palm against the stone surface.

Yami cocked his head and mimicked the motion, smiling as the walls resonated with the impact of his hand. "Nice trick." The sound was rather soothing.

"First time we were here, Valon said that he had heard from Pegasus that the walls rang if you hit them in the right area," Rafael explained. "He was right. I like it. But wait till you see the garden... it's not very big, but it's rather interesting."

They continued on, finally emerging into an open, shallow ravine which ended with a garden planted around a floating azalea maze in the middle of a large circular pool. "Wow, this is really something," said Yami, obviously impressed by water maze.

"Hmph. Yami, if you're so impressed with it, I'll have it recreated in the backyard."

The shorter duelist grinned and shook his head. "It's not what you're thinking," he responded. _I was just wondering… what it would be like to play hide-and-go-seek in a maze like that. As in you hide, and I seek._ Yami waggled his brows suggestively.

Seto blinked. Mentally he was wondering if being on vacation was making Yami more lecherous while his other head was springing to life and screaming, "Yes! Yes!" He suddenly found himself calculating how much it would cost to close down a place like the Getty for a private tour. Perhaps it would be easier to simply have the maze recreated at his mansion. Verbally he only managed to say, "Ummm…."

Yami laughed heartily and shifted over so that his shoulder bumped against his lover's arm. _I wish we were back at the hotel, just for a little bit._

_Damn you… me too. Are you sure you don't want a maze in the yard?_

_We could play hide-and-go-seek in the mansion..._

Seto made a face. _As long as Mokuba and Noa don't find us first._

"So does lunch right now sound okay?" Rafael asked, his deep voice unintentionally knocking both Seto and Yami out of their mind linked flirt session.

"Yeah, whatever," Seto drawled. _Not what I'm really hungry for…_ Maybe vacation was making him a little hornier too.

_You can have me for dessert later, Kai-baby._ Yami winked and sauntered after Rafael as the blonde began walking up the grassy slope which lead back to the arrival plaza and adjoining restaurant.

Seto grumbled and adjusted himself quickly before following.

* * *

After they ate, the trio headed for the pavilions where various works of art were displayed. Starting with a section full of restored antique furniture, they strolled from one exhibit to the next, speaking softly amongst themselves. By the time they reached the pavilions which housed paintings, Yami had turned their browsing into a game.

"Hm. 'The Banquet of Cleopatra.' She looks… European." The former Pharaoh put a finger on his chin. "It looks like a bunch of French people having a party in a Grecian temple," he decided, grinning slightly as his companions.

Seto squinted at the placard. "The artist is Gerard Hoet and he's Dutch. European artist, hence the European styled figures."

"It's supposed to represent her indifference towards her wealth, since she is about to put a pearl earring into her wine and drink it," said Rafael gruffly, reading the sign over Seto's shoulder.

"But shouldn't she… oh, I dunno… look Egyptian?"

"Well, look at this next one," said Seto, sidestepping to the next painting. "'After the Bath' by Degas."

"Ouch. She looks… disjointed." Both Yami and Rafael tilted their heads in contemplation of the awkwardly positioned naked woman featured in the painting.

"Hn. Personally, I think it looks like one lady trying to pee on a bathtub while the other lady is yanking on her hair."

"Seto! That's awful!" scolded Yami, but he couldn't help but snicker. His boyfriend was right; that was what it looked like.

Rafael grunted and chuckled under his breath. He would never look at art exhibits the same way again. "Then what about this one? Another famous artist, Paul Cézanne. This one is entitled 'The Eternal Feminine.' Rather unsettling, don't you think?" He gestured at a pale, red-eyed female figure surrounded by a throng of male figures.

"Is that supposed to be a chick? She has your eyes, Yami. She looks like she's going to Mind Crush her entourage."

The crimson-eyed teen peered closely at the painting. "I don't think those are her eyes… it looks like her eye sockets are bleeding. Gruesome."

Seto merely shrugged and turned to look at the next painting. "'The Death of Dido' by Rubens. Or by one of his underlings. Why are the women in these paintings always so… rotund? And pale, lumpy and naked? Looking at this makes me glad that I'm gay."

"That was Rubens style, hence the term 'Rubenesque,'" said Rafael.

The brunette CEO rolled his eyes. "I'm familiar with the term, thank you. But she's… Yami, if you ever let yourself go like that, I'm dumping your fat, lazy ass."

Yami smacked his lover's arm. "How about her? 'Portrait of Leonilla, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn' by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Prettier than the last woman."

"A decently attractive lady," commented Seto, half shrugging at the huge portrait of a wealthy woman in a white gown reclining on a low Turkish sofa. He really didn't have an eye for women, but at least she wasn't heavyset and nude.

"I think she's pretty."

"Oh? She meets your approval, huh? Your type?"

"My type? I don't see you anywhere in the painting." Their eyes met and Yami smiled, eliciting a smirk of amusement from the other. _Your jealousy is showing._ "Anyhow, it's nicely painted. And at least her eyes aren't bleeding," Yami added, stepping around a corner and into the next room. "Oh, now this is amusing. These are both boys."

"Please. That's a boy and a girl."

Rafael snorted. "This is 'Portrait of Joseph Gulston and his Brother John Gulston' by Francis Cotes. They're boys."

Seto frowned and read the placard. "Shit. They put little boys in dresses?" He looked more carefully at the pastel drawing. "That kid is wearing a dress and carrying a basket of flowers. That is SO wrong."

Yami quickly peeked at the sign. "I guess in 1754 boys wore dresses. I wore a… guess you would call it a 'kilt,' when I was Pharaoh."

"But you don't look like a girl at least. And the Scottish still wear kilts to this day. Besides, that little boy looks like a girl. If you put Mokuba in a dress, he'd also probably look like a girl."

"Here's another painting of boys in dresses: 'John, Fourteenth Lord Willoughby de Broke, and his Family' by Johann Zoffany. Maybe it's a theme in this room," said Rafael, sweeping his eyes over the walls before stepping towards a softly lit corridor.

Seto briefly glanced at the portrait of a man, woman and their three dress-clad children. "Horrid," he declared, his fingers brushing against Yami's as he attempted to pull his lover a bit closer before following Rafael down a hallway and towards another cluster of rooms.

Yami smiled at Seto and bumped him gently with his hip, then he choked back a laugh when he spotted the first painting in the room they just entered. "Rafael. 'Three Lovers' by Théodore Géricault. Is this the situation in your household?"

The burly blonde grinned openly. "Yeah, that would be Valon the voyeur lounging on the side," he said, gesticulating at the brunette woman in the painting, "and that's would be Amelda on top of me."

"Amelda likes to top, eh? He doesn't seem like the type," Seto said.

A faint blush colored Rafael's cheeks. "I didn't say that. Just in this painting, he'd be the blonde woman. Because I'd be the guy."

"Well, since you're the blonde and the blonde's on top, shouldn't that be you instead? With the nice, exposed thigh and buttcheek? And Valon has nice boobs."

"Stop looking at Rafael's thigh and Valon's boobs, Yami," Seto commanded, placing one hand on the back of the former Pharaoh's neck and massaging it. Yami leaned into his lover's hand. "Next painting?"

"It's a pencil portrait. 'Portrait of Lord Grantham' by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Good looking guy," commented Rafael.

"Hey, he is pretty cute."

"He looks stuck-up and arrogant," the brunette said haughtily. Both Yami and Rafael turned to look at him. "What?! And look, he has tiny feet. You know what they say about a man with small feet."

Yami looked down at his shoes. "What's wrong with my feet?"

"Nothing's wrong with your feet."

Yami slid his foot over next to Seto's in comparison. "I have small feet. Are you implying something about my…"

"Your feet are fine. They're proportional. You're a foot shorter than me; what do you expect? If you had huge feet you'd look like a clown or something," Seto blurted out. Yami frowned at him. "Oh, God… fine. You're hung like a horse. You're just a short horse. Better?" The young billionaire suddenly conjured up a mental image of mini Yami-centaur with stumpy legs. _Wait, why does he have five le… oh. Gah!_

"I don't want to know," mumbled Rafael. "Mm, you guys should recognize this one. It's a Van Gogh."

"Ah, 'Irises.' I didn't know it was displayed here."

"Would it be wrong of me to say that I don't like it?" asked Yami, finally lifting his eyes from the floor.

"Say whatever you like," answered Seto. "I'm not crazy about it either."

"Then perhaps this would be more to your taste? This is 'Mars & Venus, an Allegory of Peace' by Louis Jean François Lagrenée. This one and Bouguereau's 'A Young Girl Defending Herself against Eros' are my favorite paintings here."

Yami read the placard and nodded. "I like it. The symbolism of the Goddess of Love overcoming the God of War, and the doves nesting in the discarded battle helmet… and it's nicely detailed as well." He felt Seto shift beside him.

"The symbolism is cheesy. But the bed looks nice and plush and comfy." _Makes me think of the pavilion with the furniture… _

The ex-spirit grinned. _But those beds looked hard and uncomfortable. And we'd probably break them and then get kicked out of the museum._

_Okay, maybe the beds wouldn't work out. But there was that little blue bench from the court of Marie-Antoinette. Perfect height for bending you over and giving you the spanking you deserve._ Seto casually traced a finger over the mid-seam in the back of Yami's khakis.

_Kai-baby, you beast. You're in one hell of a mood today. And why do I deserve a spanking anyways?_

_Because…_ He pursed his lips in thought._ I didn't know I needed a reason._

_I think this mind link thing is affecting you more than we realized. But… I have no complaints thus far._

_Whatever. Hn... Okay, I thought of a reason._

_And that is?_

_You deserve a spanking because we didn't try to break the bed in the hotel before we left this morning, you lazy ass._

Yami laughed cheerily, which only earned him an odd look from Rafael. But the blonde didn't make a comment. _Baby, I'm going to be really sore if you insist on pounding me every morning._

_Well… I would be content with… alternate activities._

_Oh, I see. If I can think of one, maybe you'll get a surprise tonight._

"Hmph!" Seto said aloud.

"If you two are done with the telepathic conversation, we can move on to the next pavilion."

"What mental conversation?" _How does he know that…_

Yami just hit Seto lightly on the shoulder. "Yes, we're done." _Valon figured it out during our brunch, don't you remember? Besides, when we stand around gesticulating at each other without saying a word, it's rather obvious that something's going on._

_I do not gesticulate! _Seto mentally yelled, his arms flying up in the air. _Oh. Shit._

The crimson-eyed teen just laughed and said, "We're done here."

* * *

After strolling through the East and North Pavilions and viewing illuminated manuscripts, photographs, tapestries, and sculptural works on display, Rafael suggested that they skip the photographs on exhibit and start heading back. He hoped to beat at least some of the southbound traffic but knew that the drive would be slow in spots regardless. Once they got back to the car and began heading out of the parking structure, the former Doom member received a call from Valon and extended out an invitation to dinner at Aqua at the St. Regis Hotel, which Yami graciously accepted just as Seto's cellphone began ringing as well.

The brunette flipped the phone open and glanced at it momentarily. "Mokuba."

"Hi Seto! How are you? Doing anything fun?"

"We've just left the Getty Center, which is a museum in LA, and we're getting on the freeway right now, which… it looks like a parking lot." He frowned at the jumble of cars on the 405.

"Um, okay. Anyhow… I have a question."

"Let me guess. You want to invite Yugi-tachi over for your birthday."

"Hehe. Yeah. And have 'em spend the night..."

A soft growl rumbled through Seto's throat, ending abruptly as Yami put his hand on his boyfriend's thigh, just above the knee. "… As long as they stay out of my office and bedroom, fine."

"Okay! And um… then I was going to take them to KaibaLand."

"All right. Anything else?"

"Not really. Uh, wait… Nii-sama, hold on…"

There was a pause and a slight sound of rustling, then Yugi popped on the line. "Hi Kaiba. Is Yami there?"

"Why don't you call him on his phone? Or mind link him?" Seto grumbled. Yami tugged on a strand of brown hair and held his hand out for the phone. "Oh, fine…"

The ex-spirit smiled and held the phone up to his ear, dropping his hand back onto Seto's leg. "Aibou?"

"Hi Yami! Having a good time? I tried to mind link to you yesterday but I guess it doesn't work well over long distances… I could sense you for a few moments, but just barely."

"I'm sorry. I should have called yesterday…"

"Nah, it's okay. I figure you guys are 'busy' and I don't want to interrupt anything, you know." Yugi snickered. "But since Mokuba has no shame…" Yami grinned at Mokuba's shout of protest as Yugi continued on, "… and already made the call, I'm just piggybacking." There was another muffled sound in the background. "Oh, and Noa says hi too and wants you to put Kaiba back on."

"All right. I'll talk to you later." Yami held the phone out to his lover and slid his hand all the way up to Seto's lap with a smirk. "Seto… Noa's on the line."

_Quit that! _"Noa. What?" he snapped.

"Geez. I just wanted to say hi and… uh… Yugi, is he gone? Good. What are you getting Mokuba for his birthday?" Noa whispered conspiratorially.

"I don't know." Seto lodged his hand firmly between Yami's legs.

_Ah! Kai-baby!_

"Nii-sama!"

"Huh? What? I don't know yet. I'll find something." _It's called payback. Stop teasing me or I swear I'll…_

"Hey, not in my backseat you two," Rafael interrupted loudly, his eyes flickering up to the rear-view mirror.

"God damn it!" Seto yelled, jerking his hand back in surprise. His face turned red and Yami completely busted up laughing.

Noa's voice squeaked in concern over the phone. "Seto? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'll… I'll call you later. Tomorrow maybe. Hell, I don't know." He hung up the phone in a hurry and glowered at Yami, who was trying to look innocent and failing miserably, and Rafael, who just stared back stonily through the mirror, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. "I hate both of you."

"No sex in the car. Other people have to sit there, you know," Rafael said simply, suppressing a grin. Seto ground his teeth in irritation.

_Relax… I'll make it up to you, Baby._

_Oh yeah? Do you know how humiliated I am right now?_

_But Kai-baby… I just thought of some "alternate activities."_

_Did you now? _

_Uh huh. Something involving a bench and a spanking. I've been very bad today._

Seto grinned, already settling back down. _Yes, you've been a horrible tease today. You need to be taught a lesson. I can hardly wait._

_Same. So… am I forgiven? _Yami placed a hand on his lover's forearm.

_Not yet. Ask me later. Much, much later. _But he lifted the hand and kissed it anyways.

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):  
- Re: SigAlerts. This is the term use to describe a radio alert for accidents / other roadway blockages on So Cal freeways. Not sure if it used in other areas so I'm defining it here.  
- Re: The Getty Center. It's true… if you walk down some of the travertine-lined walkways towards the gardens and smack your palm on the walls, they make a ringing sound.  
- I forgot what the order is for the various exhibits in the pavilions. But they are housed according to type and subject and not randomly placed in the manner which I've done for the purposes of the fic. This isn't meant to be accurate :) And no, I'm not trying to be critical of the works of art displayed at the Getty. This is all in good fun and the boys are just being silly. All the artworks I've described in this fic are available for viewing on the Getty's website for anyone who is curious.  
- The centaur reference is for you, Dragon :)  
- Sorry, I know this chapter was rather slow compared to some of the others, but it was just filler to carry over to the next chapter. And hey, they're on vacation. You can't relax if you're running around frantically all the time.


	5. Ch 4: Come Sail Away

Warnings: swearing, lime  
Disclaimer:Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Come Sail Away" is performed and recorded by Styx. Gatorade is a product of The Quaker Oats Company. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**There is a mild lime scene in the beginning of this chapter, but I sanitized it for posting on ffnet so that I wouldn't have to change the rating. I only removed maybe a dozen words, but if you want the full version, it's on my site.**

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- First off, thanks for the encouraging reviews! I know this is a less popular story than some of my others, so it's heartening to see that a few people are reading it!  
- Re: Seto "letting go a bit" (mechante fille) - You'll see more absentmindedness from him in this chappie as well. It's something I'm encouraging with him since he's usually so tightly wound. He definitely needed a vacation and his brain is taking one with him (but not his hormones!)  
- Re: Coffee (Fairyfae) - I based Seto's coffee obsession off a lady I used to know who plotted her drives from one coffee shop to the next. Scarrrry.  
- Re: Centaurs (Fairyfae, Phoenix87, Dragon) - Frightening isn't it? I couldn't resist making a private joke for y'all. Still horrified about it.  
- Re: Getty Center (Rekall) - In a way, I feel like an advertisement for tourism :) but I like writing about things I know, so I felt familiar enough with the Getty that I wanted to send the boys there. BTW - death threats eh? I ain't scared of no stinking death threats. Bring 'em on!

* * *

**The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 4: Come Sail Away**

* * *

Yami began to awkwardly reach for his phone as the loud digitized recording of "Monochrome Trouble" sounded for the second time in less than a minute.

"Yami… don't… ah…"

"What if… it's important?"

"It's not. No one… important is going… to call you…"

"But…" The ringtone stopped playing. And then started again. "Nnh. Just let me…"

"No, damn you!" Seto swept his arm out and knocked the phone off the nightstand and onto the floor. "Ha! Oh… mmmm…"

"… Yeah." Yami leaned over and trailed kisses down Seto's spine. "Baby…" Then Seto's cellphone began ringing. Both teens froze. "Don't answer that."

"Mother fuckin' goddamn piece of shit…" the brunette muttered, his hand automatically creeping forward for the phone.

"Kai-baby, don't. It's not important."

"Like hell! What if something happened at…" Seto momentarily lost his train of thought. "Ah, uhhhh… at home?"

The shorter duelist paused again and sighed, bracing himself against his lover's back. "Fine, just make it… see, it stopped ringing."

Seto groaned and dropped his forehead against the pillow as Yami chuckled and shifted his weight back over his knees. But then, as if to spite them both, Seto's cellphone began ringing obnoxiously again. "Shit!" Before his younger lover had a chance to protest, Seto snagged the phone and flipped it open quickly. "Kaiba," he barked testily.

"Hey, took you blokes long enough to pick up," Valon said cheerfully.

The young billionaire stared at the phone in disbelief, then yelled, "Damn you, Valon!"

Yami growled and collapsed against Seto's back. Irritated, he slid a hand over his boyfriend's shoulder and closed it around the cellphone. "Give me the phone."

"No."

"Seto, give me the phone."

"Why?"

"Because…" Seto grumbled something unintelligible and handed Yami the cellphone. "Valon, we're…"

"Hi Yami! I tell you, Kaiba's a prick without his morning coffee. But you already knew that. I'm on my way to pick you two up."

"Valon."

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Yami's eyebrow twitched. "Valon!"

"Yesss?"

"Interrupt us again and I'm going to hunt you down and send you to the Shadow Realm!" The ex-spirit slammed the cellphone shut and threw it aside, where it was promptly forgotten.

* * *

The youngest member of Doom had to guts to show up at the hotel anyways, but at least he made sure to show up a good hour later than he originally planned. Yami had apparently forgiven him, since he not only accepted Valon's phone call from the lobby but also he agreed to go down and escort the Aussie back up to the suite.

Seto had just stepped out of the bathroom when Yami and Valon walked into the suite. "Yami? Where are… shit! When did _he_ get here?" he asked, glowering darkly at Valon once he got over his initial surprise.

"He called while you were in the shower. Since you weren't ready yet, I thought it would be rude if I just left him waiting downstairs."

"Rude? Rude. You know what's rude…?"

"Uh, Kai-baby…"

"Ah, sorry about that, mate! I didn't know you were ah… having a naughty." Valon threw Seto a wink.

"A what? No, wait… never mind."

_Psst, Kai-baby…_

"By the way, Kaiba, nice towel. Don't get dressed on my account."

Yami covered his mouth with his hand, but couldn't stop a few sniggers from escaping. Seto gave him an accusatory look. _I was trying to tell you, Baby…_

The taller teen's entire face reddened. "That's it! Get OUT! Both of you!"

"But…"

"OUT!" He pushed both teens into the hallway and slammed the door behind them.

"Hm. Mad as a cut snake," Valon observed while studying the door. "Well, I suppose I should bring him a peace offering. What kind of coffee would he want?"

Yami shrugged. _Want some coffee?_

Seto gave a mental growl. _Yami-kins… do you reaaally have to ask?_

_Well… what kind?_

_Anything strong. _

Yami sent his lover a smile. _Junkie._

_Hn. Whatever._

"He just said something strong. And I'll have some hot chocolate if you don't mind. We'll be down in the lobby by the time you get back."

"All right. And… by the way…"

"Hmm?"

"You did all right for yourself, mate. Kaiba's… well, he's hotter than I imagined." Valon's blue eyes twinkled in mischief as Yami glared daggers at him, the Sennen Eye flashing briefly on his forehead. "Aw, don't get all upset now. It's a compliment! I'll be back in a jiffy."

* * *

A half-hour later, the three duelists were on their way up to the Bayshore Marina in Newport Beach, where Valon's Phoenix Gravitation was docked along with a hundred other yachts, sailboats, sloops and pontoons. The marina was quite the hotbed of activity, and Valon explained that since it was July 4th, it would only get busier since there was an annual Fourth of July boat parade taking place early that afternoon as well as the Fireworks Over the Bay display later that evening.

"And here she is, ain't she a beaut? 39 foot long Carver Motor Yacht. She's half mine, half Pegasus'." Valon patted the hull of the ship with great pride.

"I hope you're better at steering a boat than driving a car… Ow!" Seto glared at his boyfriend.

_Kai-baby, be nice._

_Why?_

_Because. Just be nice._

Valon grinned idiotically at the two of them. "Is there any way you can teach me that telepathy thing? Cause I think that'd be awesome… wouldn't Rafael and Amelda get a kick out of it!"

Yami scratched the back of his head. "Um… I don't think it's something I can teach someone. It's just… there."

"Aw, that's too bad. Oh well…" Valon hopped onto the back of the yacht and held out his hand. "Come on now."

Yami and Seto followed him onboard and the Aussie gave them a quick tour. The ship had a kitchenette, plush living area, and two staterooms with roomy beds and their own baths. "It's amazing they can fit all this stuff in here… it's like a floating apartment," Yami observed. "So how do you decide who sleeps where?"

"The fore cabin is for Pegasus. He doesn't come out much but does use the boat on occasion. Amelda and I have the aft. And Rafael… he's come aboard a few times when we're docked, but otherwise… Well, I can't blame him." Valon's eyes darkened momentarily in thought, but he shrugged it off. " So… is there any place you two want to go? Normally I just take her out into the open sea and let her drift while I sunbake. Or we could join the boat parade."

Seto frowned at the thought of being paraded around like some sort of tourist attraction, but Yami beat him to the response. Letting a hand drift over the buttons on his shirt, the ex-spirit said, "I want to work on a tan too. It'll be my souvenir from this trip."

* * *

The brunette CEO thought he would regret not bringing along his laptop, but after about forty minutes out at sea he really wasn't as bored as he thought he would be. Valon and Yami both insisted on roasting themselves out on the walk-deck while he stayed inside the salon and passed his time lying on the sofa, mind linking into the conversation through Yami, who was now on the verge of falling asleep and lulling Seto into a half-dream state in turn. Apparently the link could not only to connect their thoughts and feelings, but could be expanded to include a phantom physical sensation as well. Letting his mind wander, the young billionaire thought about how natural mind linking felt now that he had some practice with it. He had initially expected it to be… intrusive and insidious. It was something that required absolute trust and he hadn't been convinced of his own feelings until just recently. But once he was open to the idea... he found that it wasn't anything like he feared. Instead, it was soothing and warm; Yami's emotions washed gently over his like the lapping of waves on a still summer's day, their thoughts embracing like long-lost lovers...

On the edge of Seto's mind, Yami hummed happily at his lover's good mood even though he wasn't privy to the actual thoughts. And that was another thing... Yami never tried to intrude and was never upset at being blocked out, which Seto did more often than not. He supposed that was something he needed to work on. Idly Seto also wondered if it were possible to remain mind linked while asleep and what would happen if it were, and of course there were all the sexual possibilities now that they were out of Yugi's range of "hearing"…

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he knew, someone was shaking him awake. Or perhaps not. Regardless, Seto rolled over and promptly fell off the sofa he had been dozing on, and wondered absently why he felt so hot.

_Yami?_

_Mmm? _

_Are you all right?_

_I think… I've been out in the sun too long._

Seto frowned, climbed to his feet, and rushed out to the deck to check on his lover. He found Valon crouched over Yami with the back of his hand pressed against the ex-spirit's cheek. Scowling, Seto practically shoved the other brunette out of the way and knelt beside his lover, his fingers lightly trailing over Yami's back. He didn't look badly sunburned, but his skin did feel warmer than usual.

"Ah, I'm afraid we both fell asleep. He probably has a bit of heat stroke and might develop a wee bit of sunburn later down his backside. Good thing I insisted that he use sunscreen..."

_How ironic is it for an Egyptian to get heat stroke or a sunburn? Well, I guess technically Yami isn't Egyptian anymore… _Yami moaned and slowly propped himself up on his forearms, red eyes focusing uncertainly on Seto's face. The young billionaire's scowl deepened and he attempted to pull his boyfriend to his feet, noting for the first time that both teens had been sunbathing in the nude. He suddenly had the maddening urge to kill Valon, but first he wanted to get Yami inside and with the way the younger teen was wobbling against him, it looked like he was going to have his hands full of Yami, thereby sparing Valon's scrawny neck for the time being. _It's okay. I'll get you inside and get you into a cold shower, okay?_

Yami nodded slightly and pressed his head against his lover's chest. Seto reached down and scooped up the shorter duelist easily and carried him down to the salon, Valon quickly following after he had gotten his shorts back on.

"You can use the master head, mate, in the aft," Valon said, seeing Seto looking around indecisively. "There's a shower on the left once you're through the door. I'll go get some bottled water from the fridge; we have to get him rehydrated. And I'm really sorry about this… I didn't mean…"

"Whatever." Seto headed for the bathroom and deposited Yami on the tiny ledge inside the stall and turned on the water, using the handheld shower head to gently run cool water over Yami's body. The former Pharaoh sighed and shut his eyes.

_Don't pass out on me._

_I won't. I'm just… tired._

_Yeah, well, baking your brain will do that…_

"Hey, err… I brought some bottled water and Gatorade. I'll leave them outside the door, okay? I'm going to start heading back to the harbor, just in case."

"Hn." _Dumbass._

_Me or him?_

_Both of you. _

Yami blinked and looked up at the taller teen, water dripping off his bangs. _I didn't mean to fall asleep._

_I… I know. You just… Feeling a bit better?_ Seto asked lamely.

_Yeah. Still tired though. _

_You can take a nap once I get you cooled down and you get some fluids into you._

_Seto, that sounds dirty,_ Yami complained.

_Yami! Oh for crying out loud… _The brunette couldn't help but roll his eyes, causing the shorter teen to chuckle weakly.

_Sleep with me? _Seto gaped at Yami incredulously. _No, not like that. I mean if I take a nap…_

_Oh… well, yeah… sure. _Truth be told, he didn't feel so great himself and a nap sounded pretty good. _Just a short one though, _he told himself._ I don't want to sleep the day away._

* * *

Valon checked back in on his guests once the Phoenix Gravitation docked at the marina. As he crept into the cabin, Seto awoke and glared at him with half-lidded eyes, a low rumbling growl warning the Aussie to not get any closer.

Valon stopped where he was, eyes wide. "Is he all right?" he mouthed, gesturing at Yami, who was naked and curled up on his side atop the sheets, an arm flung over Seto's stomach.

The tall CEO began to shrug in response, then thought better of it and nodded instead.

"Can I get you anything? Lunch? More water? Aspirin?"

Seto's brow furrowed momentarily, then he shook his head. "Sleep," he mouthed back, the rhythmic rolling of waves already rocking him back to sleep.

"All right." Valon left and Seto shut his eyes again.

* * *

The next time Seto awoke, it was already early evening. _Crap… how long have we been asleep? _He felt Yami shift beside him and heard a yawn.

"Yami?"

"Yeah, I'm awake."

"Mm." Seto rolled onto his side and slapped his hand onto his lover's forehead. He was relieved to find that Yami's fever had subsided and his temperature was back to normal.

"Baby, I'm fine," Yami said, batting lightly at the brunette's hand. "But thank you for staying with me."

"Hn. Whatever," Seto automatically responded. "So… you need more aspirin or anything?"

"Well… more of that gel would be nice. My back's a bit tender."

The older duelist rose and retrieved a bottle of aloe vera gel from the nightstand, along with a bottle of orange Gatorade. Yami sat up and accepted the drink gratefully, sipping it slowly while Seto massaged another handful of gel onto his back. At least Yami's sunburn wasn't severe… his skin was just slightly pink now that his core temperature had stabilized. "I think I heard Rafael's and Amelda's voices past the door," Seto mentioned conversationally after he was done with the treatment.

"I suppose we should make an appearance, ne?"

"Not while you're naked."

A light blush touched Yami's cheeks. "Kai-baby, I left everything up on the deck."

Seto let loose a small sigh. "I'll go get your clothes. Sit tight." Straightening up his rumpled cotton shirt and khakis the best he could, Seto slipped out the door and walked straight into Pegasus.

The silver-haired man smiled in greeting. "Kaiba."

"Pegasus." Vaguely he recalled Valon mentioning that the yacht was half his. "I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."

"I didn't come here to talk business... I'm only here for the fireworks show."

"Hn. Excuse me."

"Ah, Kaiba!" The young billionaire's current least favorite person came running up to the pair of CEOs. "If you're looking for Yami's clothes, I dropped them off in the head."

Pegasus turned a blinding smile onto Seto, who blanched and wondered if anyone would notice if he killed Pegasus along with Valon. Rafael and Amelda probably would, which would mean he'd have to get rid of them too. _What a headache._ Without another word, Seto turned around and returned to the master stateroom.

* * *

After a simple dinner of finger sandwiches and potato salad, the six men gathered on the bridge to await the start of the fireworks show. All around them, private beachfront homes, the marina, and other boats were alive with activity. When the sky finally darkened sufficiently, the fireworks show began, eliciting a roar from all the assembled spectators at the marina.

Yami smiled as the sky lit up in a rainbow of colors, the fingers of his right hand interlaced with Seto's left. _Ooh, that was nice. And I liked that purple one right before it._

_Yami, we have fireworks all the time at KaibaLand and you aren't this impressed with them._

The former Pharaoh huffed lightly. _I'm always impressed with them. You just don't notice. When we're at KaibaLand, you're only watching the fireworks display because you're convinced that you need to improve the show. You're so caught up with what could be going wrong that you don't see what's going right. Look at the positives, Kai-baby. At least this day is ending nicely._

_Oh yeah, I had a blast._

As if on cue, a spectacular barrage of red and white fireworks crackled and bloomed in the night sky. Seto scowled faintly.

"Come on now. It's not that bad, Kaiba," Pegasus said cryptically from his seat at the helm. When Seto quirked a brow at him, the silver-haired CEO nodded his head at Yami, who continued to gaze up at the sky from his perch aboard his lover's lap. Seto found himself tightening his arm around Yami's waist possessively, which earned him a nod of approval from Pegasus.

_Baby? Something wrong?_

Seto shook his head as more fireworks went screaming through the sky, lighting up the darkness with flickering sparkles of blue and red. He could hear Valon cheering his approval behind them, accompanied by Amelda's soft clap and Rafael's low grunt.

_Hn. Look at the positives,_ he told himself_._ Everyone at the marina was having a good time. And somewhere between the sandwiches and start of the fireworks show, he had lost his urge to do bodily harm to Valon and Pegasus, at least for the time being. And best of all…

Seto rested his chin on Yami's shoulder, and in return, the shorter duelist chuckled softly and pressed a light kiss on his lover's cheek.

_Yeah, fine, I guess this day wasn't so bad after all…_

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):  
- Monochrome Trouble is the opening theme from the Bastard! anime.  
- I tried to make Valon's yacht as accurate as possible, however my entire description is based off of pictures and a floorplan on the Carver Yachts' website. Haven't seen the actual boats.


	6. Ch 5: Afternoon Delight

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Afternoon Delight" is performed and recorded by The Starland Vocal Band. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 5: Afternoon Delight**

_

* * *

All right, that was Cook's Corner. What's next?_

Yami pushed back his blond bangs, frowning when the wind whipping over the open top of the Prowler blew them right back over sunglasses. _Let's see… go 2.7 miles past Cook's Corner and pass three large oak trees, turn right immediately after. Go over the ridge and the road forks in three directions…_

Seto let out a barely audible snort of air. _What lame directions. I guess they don't believe in road signs out in the boondocks._

_Apparently not_, Yami agreed, eyeing the chaparral and gnarled oaks that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere. Just a few miles back, there were housing tracts and shopping centers as far as the eye could see, and now, dirt driveways and a scattering of mailboxes were the only signs of human habitation. _At least Pegasus was nice enough to map this all out for us._

_Hn. Only that nut would… what the…?_

Yami and Seto both turned their heads to see a motorcycle suddenly roar by their car, then slow down just enough to keep pace in the bike lane on the passenger's side. The rider turned his head slightly to look at them, then gave them the bird.

"What the fuck!? This is a single lane, buddy!" Seto yelled, flipping the biker off in return.

The man simply raised his hand again and flipped up his face shield, revealing a familiar pair of blue eyes.

Yami blinked over the top of his frames. _Valon?_

"It is! Valon, you crazy fucker! What do you think you're doing?" Seto snarled.

The former Doom member merely winked and pointed at the young billionaire, then crooked his finger in a come-hither motion before lowering his face shield and rocketing his bike ahead of the roadster.

_Guess he wants us to follow him?_ Yami began folding up the map.

_Guess so. _

Valon began to slow down as they approached a cluster of old oaks and motioned for Seto to turn right onto a narrow asphalt path. The road took them up over a ridge and then split in three directions. They followed the left fork to a bridge over a dry creek bed, then drove along a line of white pasture fencing which led to a guard booth beneath a gate marked "Welcome to Toon World."

"Cheesy. 'Welcome to the Funny Farm' would have been better," Seto commented, as Pegasus' security staff checked them over and waved them onto the property.

Yami smiled and pushed up his shades. "Right. Because that's not cheesy at all."

Seto scowled and pulled the Prowler into a circular driveway in front of an expansive ranch-style house and parked behind Valon's bike. "Shut up, Yami."

"Mmm, make me, Baby," Yami purred, his voice smooth as silk.

"I'll shut you… what do you want, Valon? Shouldn't you be at WORK or something?"

The Aussie leaned up against the rental car and grinned. "Naw, yesterday was a national holiday. So today's my 'day off.' Well technically... I'm chucking a sickie, not that Pegasus really cares. But ah, since I have an open invite to come down to the station whenever I please..."

"You decided to come down and irritate me," complained the young CEO.

"Hey now, I have other things to do with my time than irritate you. Like horseback riding."

"Riding?" Yami's eyes lit up. "That's probably why Pegasus wrote down 'wear jeans' in his directions. Hmm, I haven't ridden since… well, in a long while."

Seto folded his arms across his chest. "And that's a good thing. I don't trust horses. They're big dumb animals that are just waiting to dump you on the ground and kick you in the head."

Yami frowned at his lover while Valon laughed. "Now that sounds like something Amelda would say. He refuses to ride with Rafael and me. Says that he fell off once when he was a wee lad and doesn't want to do it again. But since you've got a meeting planned with Pegasus, Kaiba, I don't see why Yami can't come riding with me. I'll keep an eye on him for you."

"Oh, like you did yesterday?" Two pairs of blue eyes met. "And this time, try to keep your clothes on, both of you."

"Kai-baby, the term 'bareback riding' doesn't mean that the rider is naked," Yami pointed out with a smirk.

Valon chuckled in agreement. "If it worked that way, riding bareback would chafe… all that leather against the insides of your… ah… hehe."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go ride. But remember Yami, I get two hours so I don't want any distractions from either of you during that time."

"But Kai-baby, what if I fall off and get kicked in the head?"

"Then go bleed somewhere quietly." He leaned over and kissed his lover on the forehead. "I'll see you in two hours. Try not to accumulate any injuries in the meantime."

* * *

Crocketts ended up leading Seto to the expansive back patio, where Pegasus had planned to conduct the meeting. The brunette billionaire quirked a brow at the choice of location but made no comment… he figured Pegasus was only half sane at best, so if he wanted to have a business meeting in the back yard, so be it. And at least the stable was visible from the yard, so he could keep an eye on Yami just in case something did happen.

The first half-hour passed by uneventfully. The two CEOs were in the middle of discussing a planned release of a new Duel Monsters card series when Yami and Valon rode by the back fence. Seto's ears were still tuned to Pegasus but his eyes and mind were preoccupied by the sight of his boyfriend trotting a dark bay horse past the yard. _Are all horses that tall? Couldn't they find him something shorter? If he falls off he's going to break his neck. Why does Valon look so smug? What's so funny? He's probably telling Yami some lame joke… but at least Yami's smiling, and he does look good riding, all hot and sweaty with his legs apart, swaying slightly in the saddle… Doesn't that hurt your balls?_

Pegasus' grating voice broke into his reverie. "You know, we can take a break if you want."

"Huh? What?"

Pegasus smiled and motioned for Crocketts to refresh their drinks. "Take a break. You are on vacation, you know."

"We're here to talk business, not to waste time having lemonade while…"

"… while you're obviously distracted by your boyfriend riding around with my employee? Hmm?"

"Can it, _Mr. Crawford_."

The silver-haired man shrugged. "I was just stating a fact. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about your boyfriend, Kaiba-boy. As a matter of fact, I wholeheartedly approve of your relationship with Yami Mutou."

Seto bristled at the nickname. "I don't need _your_ approval," he snarled. "I'm only here to talk business, not to discuss my personal life."

"I happen to be taking a day off, so I'm not exactly anxious to discuss business matters myself; you'll forgive me, I hope. I only agreed to this in consideration of your convenience." Pegasus focused his single eye on the younger CEO. "I know you don't care what I think. And I admit, I was initially skeptical about your relationship with little Yugi-boy's other half, but… Well, how did those tattoos turn out? I never did find out if you went with my revised design."

"I did. Not that it's any of your business."

"That's wonderful! I was quite pleased with the way those illustrations came out. I still have the original paintings and if you'd like, I'll give them to you."

Seto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why?"

"Well, what am I going to do with them?"

"What's with you, anyways? Why the nice guy act?"

Pegasus looked slightly offended. "Who said I wasn't a nice guy? It's true that I wasn't behaving very well during the Duelist Kingdom tournament and I do apologize for that, but I'm trying to make amends." His expression grew somber and serious. "It's not easy being alone, Kaiba. You have a good thing going right now. Don't mess it up."

"Hn. Whatever," Seto huffed, his eyes flickering over to the fence again as Yami's horse loped by, followed shortly by Valon's. _What's the deal with the pep talk? Why does he care?_

Pegasus smiled to himself and sat back in satisfaction. "Have you ever tried discussing business on horseback?"

The brunette rolled his eyes. "No."

"Well, neither have I. But it's bound to be interesting. Want to give it a shot?"

* * *

The four riders returned to the stable shortly before noon.

"It was nice of you and Pegasus to come riding with us, Kai-baby," Yami said, expertly reining his horse up next to Seto's Appaloosa. "And thanks for the invite to dinner and the First Thursday Artwalk tonight, Pegasus. We hadn't heard about it, but I'm sure we'll enjoy it."

The last thing Seto wanted to do was spend the evening as well with the Industrial Illusions CEO and his trio of ex-Doom devotees, however Yami wanted to go, so he was stuck. _Ugh… _Seto made a face and shifted awkwardly in his seat, causing the spotted mare to begin backing up, much to the brunette billionaire's dismay. "Yeah, whatever. My ass feels like it's been pounded with a meat mallet. This has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever done. Stupid horse. Stupid art shit."

"Aw, it's not poor Bun-bun's fault that your, well, bun-buns aren't used to riding," said Pegasus slyly. Valon snorted derisively.

Seto glared at them both. "Who the fuck names a horse 'Bun-bun' anyways? I know you're crazy, Pegasus, but that's pushing it, even for you." Valon sniggered, then turned to his boss, awaiting his comeback.

"Well, her name's actually Dark Rabbit," Pegasus sweetly explained. "Bun-bun is just her special nickname."

"Special my ass!" Seto complained, yanking off his borrowed riding helmet. Why he was the only one stuck riding with a helmet he had no idea, but it was starting to drive him crazy.

Valon burst into peals of laughter as Yami raised both brows and grinned broadly. "Oh Seto… it's okay, my butt is a bit sore too. Takes a while to get used to riding again, I guess. But it was fun."

_Hmph. You want to ride something, I'll give you something a lot nicer to ride._

_Not here, Kai-baby, _the former Pharaoh replied with amusement.

Seto glanced at their two companions, then shrugged. _Don't tell me what to do._ With a firm tug on Yami's arm, Seto pulled his boyfriend in for a through kiss. Pegasus and Valon whooped encouragingly while the two locked lips, Seto's hand coming up to hold Yami's head in place.

Yami finally had to break away for a breath of air. _Kai-baby, you devil!_

Blue eyes glimmering, Seto smirked and tapped Yami on the nose. _My meeting was thoroughly fucked thanks to you distracting me. So now I'm going to drag you back to the hotel and give you what you've got coming._

* * *

"I still… mmm… say I wasn't… distracting you… oooh!"

"Hn." Seto slipped his tongue under the lobe of Yami's ear as the shorter teen writhed on the bed, sliding right out of the towel that he had wrapped around his waist after his shower. _You kept riding by the patio with that idiot Valon, and you had your thighs squeezing that horse so hard…_

_Baby, I was squeezing hard because I was trying to keep my mount going!_

_See, you keep saying dirty things like 'mount,' 'stud' and 'riding.'_

Yami rolled his eyes, then gasped as Seto flipped him over and pulled him up on his knees. "Anxious, Kai-baby?"

"Hn. I told you, I'm going to give you what you've got coming." Yami tried to squirm away, but Seto hooked an arm around the younger duelist's waist and pressed his knee lightly into the junction of Yami's leg. _Give it up, Yami._

_But I don't want tooo, _the ex-spirit whined playfully. _I didn't dooo anything wrong._

Seto caressed his lover's ass, then lifted his hand and slapped it down onto his target with a loud smack. "Ow! What the…" He pulled off the towel he had been wearing and rubbed his own sore buttcheek in confusion. "That was weird."

Yami rolled halfway onto his side and considered his lover. "Our link is getting a lot stronger, it seems. Like with yesterday…"

"Do I really hit that hard?" Seto interrupted, frowning.

Yami shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes. And sometimes you hit even harder. Normally I don't mind, but we're both a bit sore right now."

"Hn. So what would happen if we stayed mind linked during sex then?"

The former Pharaoh just gave the brunette a mysterious smile. "Would you like to find out?"

"Do you have to ask?"

(Lemon deleted for ffnet - summary is Yami and Seto mess around and make a mess of each other)

_

* * *

(Over in Domino…)_

Yugi smiled unconsciously as he drifted through a pleasant dreamscape. He was in a soft bed with Anzu lying beneath him, her intense blue eyes framed by wisps of silky brown hair, a light flush coloring her skin, her lips swollen and parted and...

_Ohhhh, Anzu! Anzu, I love you!_

Violet eyes snapped open as Yugi suddenly awoke. _God, that seemed so real. I wonder… nah. But… _

Yugi got up and blearily looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. He wished he was taller like Honda, or funnier like Jou, or more charming like Otogi, or more confident like… Yami. _I want to call Yami and ask him for advice, but he's on vacation and I already know what he's going to say, and besides, I shouldn't bother him while he's off spending quality time with the guy he loves. Even if Kaiba's still in denial over… Love. Hmm._ Briefly he thought about his vision of Anzu in bed, then slapped his hand down on the counter in determination. _That's it - Yugi Mutou, you need to stop pussyfooting around! You were brave enough to take on Pegasus and Marik and Dartz and save the world with Yami countless times, so asking Anzu out should be a piece of cake! _

He sighed. It obviously wasn't a piece of cake or else he'd have already done it. So he decided to approach the problem from another angle. _All right… I helped Yami land the most prickly, stubborn guy in all of Domino, even if it was with a little help from Mokuba and Noa, so I should be able to help myself land the most loyal, sweet, friendly girl in all of Domino, right? Right! I even survived a heart-to-heart talk with Kaiba, right? Right again! So I'm not afraid of talking to her… even if she says… no. Oh God, what if she says no? Or worse, what if she's not over Yami yet? No! Wait, Yugi… now you're sounding negative and you are most definitely NOT a negative person. Think of the positives. Think of how gutsy you really are, even if you're scared shitless. Think of all the things you've been through with Anzu and the others, even if you're shorter than everyone… but you're taller than Mokuba and maybe Noa! Okay, okay, I can do this! I will do this! I know I can! Now… I just have to keep telling myself that…_

Sucking in a breath, Yugi ran to the nightstand, grabbed his cellphone, and started dialing as fast as he could. _Please pick up… _

Several tense seconds went by, then just before he decided to hang up…

"Hello?" answered a sleepy female voice.

"Um, Anzu?"

"Oh, hi Yugi. What's up? It's…"

"Sorry, I know it's really early. Too early to call, probably, but uh…"

"Yugi? Is something wrong? You sound really tense."

Yugi sucked in another deep breath and blurted out, " Anzu do you want to see a movie or maybe have dinner or something I don't know when or what yet but it's up to you please say yes I really like you."

Anzu went silent for a moment, then said, "A movie? Sure… what did you want to see?"

"Not a movie. Er, well… yes, I… I don't want to see a movie as friends. You know what I mean?"

"… Are you asking me out on a date?"

"A date? Uh… yes. Please say yes."

"Sure, why not? It'll be fun."

_YES! Yes yes yes! She said yes! _"Oh, great! Okay. Uh… I don't know when though."

Anzu giggled. "That's okay. Think about it and let me know what you decide. Whenever is fine with me, but… I guess we're a little busy this weekend, aren't we?"

"Yeah. And I'm sorry I woke you up."

"That's okay, Yugi. I'm glad you did it. It was… sweet. Thank you!"

* * *

Yami was just getting settled in bed and closing his eyes when his cellphone suddenly went off. Seto's forehead wrinkled as he mumbled something and threw an arm over Yami's waist while the crimson-eyed teen struggled to grab the phone before it woke his lover up completely.

"Um, hello?"

"Yami! Hi! Oh my God!" Yugi screamed into the phone. Yami winced and held the cellphone away from his ear as his aibou literally shrieked.

"Wait… Yugi? What's going on?"

"Oh… oh geez… I did it! I asked her out!"

"Huh?" Yami dug through the foggy recesses of his mind for a better response. "You mean Anzu?"

"Yes, duh… isn't it afternoon over there?"

"Mmm."

"Well, then why are you… never mind. I probably don't want to know. But yeah, I asked her out and she said yes! Isn't that fantastic!"

Yami quirked a smile at Yugi's excitement. "Yes, it is."

"It was sooo weird too. I mean, I just woke up after having the strangest dream. I dreamt that Anzu and I were in bed and all I could see was her brown hair and blue eyes, and she looked at me and I just stared at her eyes. They were so intense!"

"Aibou." And then he yawned. _Wait… he just had a dream that… OOPS. Please tell me that our signals didn't cross…_

"… I'm bothering you, aren't I? You were taking a nap or something. I'll let you go. Call me later."

"No, it's all right," Yami said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle another yawn.

"Heh… I don't want to earn Kaiba's wrath. I'll talk to you later. Have a good nap. Gosh, can't believe it…"

Yugi hung up and Yami put the phone back on the nightstand. Seto reached out and tugged him back over against his body.

_Mm glad you hung up because I was just about to do it for youuu, _the brunette said, his mental voice sleepy and slurred.

_Yugi was just excited because he finally asked Anzu out._

_Hn. That's nice. Sleep now?_

Yami chuckled softly. _You're becoming spoiled. Soon you'll want a nap every afternoon._

_Is your fault. Wiped me… out… you…_

The younger teen simply smiled when he realized his lover had just fallen asleep again.

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):  
- Re: First Thursday Artwalk. I mentioned it but didn't explain what it was during the story, so for those of you who are curious… Artwalk is an "open house" that takes place the evening of the first Thursday of every month where select Laguna Beach art studios and galleries stay open late to promote their works. Usually the artists will be on hand to talk to visitors and people just walk and mingle. It's a self-guided tour and many of the galleries offer snacks and drinks, so if you want to get buzzed for free…  
- You should always ride with a helmet. But I let Yami, Valon and Pegasus get away without wearing one. Bad little me. Hell, I've done it before and I haven't cracked my skull… yet.


	7. Ch 6: Shake Your Groove Thing

Pairings: Yami x Seto, Rafael + Valon + Amelda, Malik + Bakura  
Warnings: swearing, lime  
Disclaimer:Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Shake Your Groove Thing" is performed and recorded by Peaches and Herb. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Boys of Summer**

**Ch. 6: Shake Your Groove Thing**

* * *

"I still can't believe you're taking us shopping," Seto groused while Amelda parked the blue Mercedes on the first floor of South Coast Plaza's south parking structure.

Amelda shrugged and got out of the vehicle. "Well… this is what I like to do. And if I didn't go shopping… none of us would have clothes, or furniture, or anything. Besides, you mentioned that you didn't bring any clubbing wear along for the trip."

"Maybe that's because I don't go to clubs?"

Yami snorted and lightly pressed his shoulder into Seto's arm. "Maybe you will tonight, hmm?"

"_Yami-kins_… no."

"Well, if you _really_ don't want to… I suppose we don't _have_ to go. We could spend the evening sleeping, or counting the grains of sand on the beach, or… something."

"Whatever, Yami. You're not going to guilt me into going."

The shorter teen instantly grinned. He loved a good challenge.

* * *

As Amelda directed them from store to store in search of a clubbing outfit for Seto, amongst other things, the brunette wondered how Yami had so easily convinced him to agree to go dancing with the Doom trio that evening. _It's not like Yami's incapable of taking care of himself,_ Seto reasoned. _But he did purchase a top and pants that are so suggestive that all sorts of inebriated, hormonally-driven numbnuts are going to try to pick up on him and I'm not going to let that happen. Plus, Valon's going to be there, and I don't trust that loudmouthed, strip happy, horse humping idiot. Even though I'm sure Rafael's not going to let him go wild, I'd rather not find out later on that Valon decided to add on to their little trio and make a quartet. Hmm…_

They walked into the Diesel store and Yami immediately wandered off to browse through the watches on display. Seto continued to mull over his current line of thought and looked over at Amelda, who had picked up a green sleeveless shirt off of one of the clothing racks. He had become so accustomed to Valon's ceaseless babble that Amelda's near silence took him by surprise. The last time he had seen the redhead, he was a dangerous and annoying opponent. The truth about Dartz and the passage of time had changed him a lot, and he was now much more subdued and almost as quiet as Rafael. But with a question burning in his mind, Seto figured he should try initiating conversation and casually strolled over to the redhead to ask, "So… how's everything going?"

"Huh? Oh… do you think Valon would like this?"

_How the hell should I know? I'm not banging him, or being banged by him._ "I guess." Well, there was no point in beating around the bush. "Valon's quite the flirt, isn't he?"

"Mmhmm, that's an understatement. Valon hits on everything and everyone. He even flirts with Pegasus sometimes." Seto scrunched up his face in disgust. "But he's just being friendly. Why, has he been coming on to you?"

"No. Just Yami." _Come to think of it… DAMN IT! Argh… that fool's been flirting with me too!_

"If you want, I can talk to him and…"

"No, don't. It's not a big deal." Amelda nodded and shut up. Now Seto felt like a fool for worrying about it in the first place. _Stupid Valon. Why can't he be more… more like Amelda or Rafael or something, and keep his eyes on his own boyfriend… er, boyfriends? _"I have another stupid question. Not that you have to answer it or anything. But um, how do you guys work out… the uh, bedroom situation?" _Why on Earth did I ask that? I don't give a fuck how they... fuck._

Amelda tossed the shirt over his arm and glanced at Seto. "If you think we have an enormous bed and spend our nights having orgies, you're wrong. We live in a three-bedroom townhouse and each of us has our own room. Oh... you guys haven't even seen it, have you? But anyways… well, we try to be considerate of one another's feelings, since we rarely engage in... group activities. So when Valon and I want to be alone, we head for the yacht. When Rafael and I want to be alone, we usually send Valon off to Pegasus' ranch for a while. And when Rafael and Valon want to be alone, I go shopping. So it all works out I guess."

"Huh. Not as twisted as I thought it would be."

"Perhaps not, but I know this is far from 'normal.' Actually, that was the main cause of our problems with the neighbors, but I saw a 'For Sale' in front of their unit today, so thank goodness, they'll soon be gone and we won't have to put up with their shit any longer. Anyways, I think I'm going to buy this. It looks like Yami's going to pick up a watch or two as well."

Seto nodded at Amelda and began walking over to his lover, who was watching him from under his lashes. "See something you like?"

"Other than you?" They both smirked. "It's nice seeing you get along with Amelda, Kai-baby. I didn't want to interrupt, you know."

"Yeah, whatever. Planning to buy a watch?"

Yami held up a sleek digital watch with a square stainless steel case and black perforated leather band. "We haven't gotten anything for Noa yet. You think he'd like this? Or maybe that one?" He pointed at a similar watch with an off-center case and steel studded band.

Seto shrugged and Yami quirked an eyebrow at him. _Sorry. The first one's better, I guess. But what about Mokuba? His birthday is tomorrow and I still haven't thought of anything._

_Don't worry about it._

_Of course I'm going to worry about it! I don't want to just buy him another stack of video games like I did last year._

_Kai-baby… don't worry. I have it covered. And I promise, he'll absolutely love it. _

_Huh? What is it?_ He didn't remember Yami buying anything out of the ordinary in the last few days.

_Can't tell you yet. But I'll show it to you tomorrow when I pick it up… trust me on this. Mokuba's going to get exactly what he wished for._ The crimson-eyed teen gave his lover a mysterious smile and put the watch on the counter alongside with his credit card.

Flummoxed, Seto could only wonder what Mokuba had asked for, and why hadn't his little brother mentioned it to him?

* * *

"So, how's it going in there, Kaiba?" Amelda asked softly from his cushioned perch in front of the dressing room door. It had taken Yami nearly five minutes to convince his lover just to try on the shirt Amelda had picked out on a whim, and now another five minutes had passed with only indecipherable grumbles coming from the short-tempered CEO.

"You have the tackiest taste in clothing, you know that? There is _no_ way, absolutely NO fucking chance in HELL that I'd wear this out in public," Seto finally growled back.

"Kai-baby… how about the pants I chose?"

"I like the pants," Seto said aloud, tugging at the waistband of the semi-metallic pewter gray pants, which featured four chunky side-release buckles on the outside of each leg.

"So you don't like the shirt at all?" _Baby, let me see it!_

_No, because you're probably going to like it and want me to buy it._

_Well, what's wrong with it?_

_Other than the fact that you can clearly see my nipples?_

That peaked Yami's interest. _Ohhh, let me see!_

_Yami, NO._

_Baaaaaaby! _The crimson-eyed teen began pounding on the door quite insistently. _Come on!_

Seto groaned audibly and unlocked the door. Yami poked his head into the room and broke out a huge, shit-eating grin at the sight of the sheer midnight blue mesh top which clung tightly to the planes of Seto's muscles. "You HAVE to get that, Kai-baby."

Amelda took the opportunity to peek in as well. "Wow, that's certainly… nip-tacular."

Seto glared at the redhead and slapped his hands over his chest. "See! I can't wear… Amelda, that's not even a word!"

"You really can't see your nipples, just the outline, sort of. And the silver Chinese dragon printed in the center is the real focus anyways," Yami lied unconvincingly. Seto turned his glare towards his boyfriend instead, causing the shorter duelist to smile sheepishly. Who was he kidding… he didn't even have to squint to see his lover's small nubs, as well as the thin line of fine brown hair that trailed from his navel to his…

"That really is an awesome clubbing shirt. And it looks great with the pants," Amelda said.

"I look… I look like a slut!"

Amelda met Seto's gaze momentarily. "That's _exactly_ why it's an awesome clubbing shirt," he reiterated.

"Get it, Baby!" Yami demanded, his crimson eyes flashing. _By Geb's goose, you have no idea how sexy you look right now. Why, if Amelda wasn't here… _He trailed a finger down the center of the brunette's chest suggestively.

Seto's dick decided to take over and he found his mouth uttering, "All right, fine! Happy now?" _Gah! Stupid hormones_. Yami grinned smugly and Seto sighed. _Stupid dick!_

* * *

After a full day of shopping, Amelda dropped Seto and Yami off at their hotel with a recommendation for a local Italian café and directions to the Crazy Horse.

Having dinner alone for the first time in several days, the couple walked to the café and enjoyed a nice, light meal. They got back to the hotel with a little over two hours to spare, so Seto decided to spend some time on the phone with Mokuba to wish him a happy birthday while Yami played with the eyeliner and black nail polish he had picked up earlier in the day. The younger duelist was more than eager to go out and show off Seto in his sexy new outfit, but somewhere between getting dressed and walking out the front door of the suite, Yami ended up throwing his lover onto the sofa and taking him from behind.

As they recovered from their mind-blowing, mind linked tumble, Seto privately thought about how… exciting it was to let Yami slip past his defenses. It was a thrill, but a safe one. And thanks to their connection, Yami seemed to know exactly when to take advantage of his bouts of generosity. Of course, his hormone-addled brain reminded him, he had been feeling extremely generous as of late...

_Next time,_ Seto said wearily, _I'm on top._ He slowly got up and joined his lover in the bathroom, picking up his discarded clothing along the way.

Yami chuckled as soon as Seto walked into the bathroom. _All right, next time. And the time after that. And the time after…_

Seto made a face. _Okay, I got it, thank you. And I hope this time, Yugi doesn't give us a call to say that he decided that he had to screw Anzu because he saw my hair through your eyes, or whatever._

_Hope not! I concentrated on actively blocking him out this time!_ said Yami in distaste. He finished cleaning himself up and started getting dressed again.

Seto began washing up but kept an eye on his boyfriend as the shorter teen pulled on a black thong and then struggled to get back into a pair of ridiculously shiny, ridiculously tight black vinyl pants which nearly unzipped completely apart at the crotch. Once those were on, Yami yanked on a black sleeveless top which had orange PVC panels inset into the shoulder and in a huge arrow right down the front of the shirt, which pointed glaringly at the former Pharaoh's crotch.

_I see you staring. Admit it, you like it._ Yami finger combed his hair back into his usual spikes and checked his eyeliner, which made his extraordinary eyes stand out even more. _I have great taste._

_Hn. The big arrow and the zip-through crotch just scream, "Fuck me now." You do realize I'm going to have to kill anyone who even looks in your direction, right?_

_Don't worry. I don't think anyone will be looking at me, thanks to your nipples._ Yami smirked. _Oops, did I just say that?_

Seto frowned deeply. _That's it. I'm not wearing that shirt!_

_Kai-baby… I was just kidding. It'll be so dark in the club no one will even notice. Besides, I'll protect you if someone gets the wrong idea._

_You'll protect me? Heh! _Seto pulled on the shirt again after a slight hesitation, smoothing it over his chest.

Yami caught his hand and gave him a serious look. _Of course. Would you really expect any less of me?_

Seto cocked his head and considered it. _I'm sure I can take care of myself just fine, but if it makes you feel better, I… appreciate the sentiment._

_Mmm. Good. You won't regret it. I promise._

* * *

The Crazy Horse was conveniently located right by a valet station, so after the Prowler was dropped off, Yami and Seto only had a short distance to go to look for the trio of former Doom members. It wasn't hard to spot Rafael, who stood out from the crowd with his height and bulk. On either side of him, Amelda and Valon were fussing over the snaps on the blonde's sleeves. Seto evaluated the three duelists' outfits with a critical eye. Rafael was in a pair of faded black jeans and a thin golden olive shirt with quilted black canvas panels over the shoulders. Valon was wearing the dark green button-up shirt which Amelda had purchased earlier on and had paired it with baggy black cargo pants. His spiky, tousled brown hair was somewhat tamed by decorative chrome goggles with yellow lenses. And Amelda? He was in an unusual asymmetrical black crop top with a mock turtleneck, single sleeve, and dramatically cut-out arm hole which flashed most of his left pectoral muscle, and a...

"Holy fuck! You're wearing a skirt?" Seto gasped.

The redhead smiled and turned his hip enough to show off the pants beneath the skirt-like flap. "It's a skant."

Seto continued to stare at him. _Did he say skank?_

_No, I think he said…_

"Well, don't we make quite the group?" came an all-too-familiar, grating voice from behind them all.

Seto's eyes widened. _Please tell me they didn't invite…_

Yami turned his head first and instantly coughed into his hand in an effort to keep from laughing aloud. Perplexed, Seto finally looked over his shoulder and nearly choked as soon as he caught sight of the silver-haired CEO, unsure of whether he should laugh, cry, burn his eyes out, or simply run away. The man was wearing a robin's egg blue leisure suit with white contrast stitching and a pink, red and white paisley print shirt which was half unbuttoned. He even switched out his plain black eyepatch for a black and silver one. Pegasus caught Seto gawking and shrugged. "It's disco night." As if that could excuse it.

Rafael merely grunted in agreement while Yami admonished his boyfriend. _Kai-baby, don't just stare at him. It's rude._

Seto made a face._ I can't help it. I think I've momentarily gone blind._

* * *

By the time the six duelists made it into the Crazy Horse, the band Bootiequake was already up on stage and had the dance floor below jam packed with bodies. Pegasus, Rafael and Amelda instantly headed for the bar while Valon sat down at a table they had reserved near the front of the dance floor.

"My God, it's so loud in here!" Seto said, trying to be heard over the music.

Valon blinked at him. "What?"

"I said… NEVERMIND," Seto yelled back. _This is crazy. People actually consider this fun?_

_Of course! You really should've come dancing with me before this, but oh well..._

_That's what your little friends are for. Why would I want to get shoved into the middle of a sweaty crowd and have strangers gyrating at me while being deafened by obnoxiously loud music?_

Yami just shrugged and watched the action out on the dance floor in the middle of the room. There were certainly a lot of people out there enjoying themselves.

Valon suddenly stood up and latched onto Yami's wrist, causing Seto to bare his teeth at him. "Wanna dance?"

"Yeah, but what about…"

"Ah, don't worry, they'll catch up."

Yami blinked, then looked over at Seto. _Coming with?_

_No._ He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. _Go on… I don't care._

The ex-spirit frowned. He didn't want his lover to sit around sulking the entire evening. _Please, Seto._

_I'm fine here. You go have a good time; I mean it. Don't let me keep you from having fun._

"Yami." When the crimson-eyed teen looked up, Valon tugged him close enough to say into his ear, "I have a plan, mate. Don't worry, we'll get him out and dancing in no time."

Yami smirked and nodded, then followed Valon down the stairs to the front of the dance floor, where there was a decent sized clearing in the crowd. The ex-spirit shut his eyes and listened to the music, his hips starting to sway in time with the beat.

A few moments later, he felt someone bumping up against him insistently. Thinking it was Valon, he dismissed it until he heard a giggle and opened his eyes to see a pink-haired girl bumping hips with him. Blinking, Yami looked over at Valon to see him dancing with two girls. The brunette winked at him over one girl's shoulder. _Heh, nice plan, Valon._

"You're cute! I like your pants!" Yami's dance partner said, beaming brightly. She put her hand lightly on his hip.

_Three… two… one…_

Seto suddenly rushed across the dance floor, forcing his way between Yami and the girl. "Keep your hands to yourself, tramp," he growled, pulling Yami to his chest. The girl pouted, then blanched as Seto glared fiercely at her. She motioned to her friends and all three moved off to dance with another group of guys. Valon shrugged at the loss of his dance partners, then just began dancing by himself.

Yami tilted his head back to look at his possessive boyfriend. _Seto, you can let go now._

_Stupid bitch. Why'd you let her touch you?_

_I hardly think flirting is an offense worthy of a Mind Crush. Besides, now that you're on the dance floor…_

_No. Yami…_

Yami ignored Seto's protest and wrapped a leg around his lover's, then ground his crotch against Seto's thigh. _Come on. _He began a slow, insistent, rocking rhythm as the previous song ended and the next one began. _It's like sex, Baby._

_Sex. Except we're dressed._

_Hmm. Yes._ Yami shut his eyes again and began mouthing the lyrics to the song.

Seto just stood still, more than a little embarrassed by the entire situation, but after a quick look around he realized that no one was staring at them. Yami obviously didn't care if anyone was looking, swinging his hips hard with the rhythm and sliding his ass across Seto's thighs, the orange arrow on his top just begging for people to look down at his vinyl-clad groin. Then the young CEO realized that his body was also starting to sway in time with the music.

_What the hell? How does he do this to me?_

By the end of the song Seto finally relaxed enough to appreciate Yami's sensuous performance. And apparently he wasn't the only one…

"I didn't know Pharaohs could dance like that," Amelda commented loudly, a mixed drink in hand, his face slightly pink already. Rafael stood beside him with an arm casually slung over the redhead's shoulders and a beer in hand.

"Apparently this one can," Pegasus threw in. "By the way, you guys missed something funny at the bar."

"What's that?"

Rafael spoke up. "This little jackass was trying to get Amelda's phone number. Wouldn't take no for an answer until I walked up and then he yelled, 'Oh my God, you're dating the Incredible Hulk?' Idiot. It's tacky being that drunk this early." His gaze shifted to Amelda. The redhead snorted unapologetically and took another sip of his drink.

"Well, you do make an imposing sight, Rafael," Yami pointed out with a smirk.

"Not as much as Kaiba running people over to get to you," Amelda said in return, lifting his drink in a salute. The alcohol had really loosened his tongue.

"I was NOT running over people!" Seto yelled. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Well… at least we got you out on the dance floor, mate," said Valon smugly, his body beginning to move to the music again. He sidled up against Seto, much to the taller teen's chagrin, and began singing.

Then both Yami and Valon began shaking their posteriors up against Seto.

"Gah! Go dance with your boyfriends or Pegasus, loser!"

Valon laughed and followed Seto's "suggestion," moving over one spot in their little dance circle and stepping between Pegasus and Amelda instead.

_Great, now I'm stuck with Mr. Leisure Suit instead of Valon,_ Seto said in horror as the silver-haired CEO began dancing next to him. He was a truly horrifying sight; all tacky clothing and cheesy moves.

_Shouldn't have told Valon to move. Don't worry, Kai-baby, I'll protect you from Pegasus, just like I promised I would._

_You'd have to gouge out my eyes to do that._ Yami smacked his boyfriend's arm lightly, then maneuvered himself so that Seto was more or less pinned in place in front of the stage. _Yami, what are you doing?_

_Protecting what's mine of course. _The former Pharaoh began dancing around him like a stripper with a pole, twining his legs around Seto's, running his hands all over the brunette's stomach.

_I don't need to be protected from Pega… _he began protesting, then Yami began rubbing his palms over the thin mesh of his shirt. _Mmm… Yami, stop that…_

_Why? _The shorter duelist nudged a nipple with his nose.

_Why? Because we're in the middle of a crowd!_

_Seto, look around. I'm hardly the worst one here._

The young billionaire looked over the spikes of Yami's hair at the dancers around them. There were people grinding against each other all over the dance floor. A rather tipsy Amelda was now sandwiched between Rafael and Valon, the redhead's back against the blonde's chest while the brunette fondled the chest muscle left exposed by Amelda's top. And Pegasus was busy trying to chat up a young woman, who looked mortified at the attention he was giving her. _Okay, maybe not._

_Exactly._ As the next song began, Yami effortlessly switched his movements to match the new rhythm and grabbed Seto around the waist. _Come on, dance with me, _he asked, pulling his lover away from the stage._ Close your eyes, feel the music, let your body go._ He slid his hands down Seto's hips and pulled their bodies together, his undulations encouraging his reluctant lover to loosen up a little more.

_This is so stupid, _Seto complained, but he followed Yami's lead anyways.

_You're doing fine, Kai-baby. I like dancing with you. Gives me an excuse to molest you in public._

_Hn. Pervert. _The taller teen smirked and ran his hand over the curve of Yami's ass.

_Hypocrite. _Yami returned the favor, not missing a beat.

* * *

"They're sooo cute, aren't they?" Pegasus asked, nursing the remainder of his Mai Tai at the table. He was feeling quite nice and fuzzy and warm at the moment.

"Those two?" Rafael lifted his beer and gestured out to the darkened near corner of the dance floor where Seto held Yami while the shorter duelist swayed and lip-synced along with the music.

Pegasus began to nod, then stopped as his head started spinning. "They've been on the dance floor for hours and hours and hours. They've completely forgotten that we're here." He pouted slightly and signaled to a waitress for another round of drinks.

Amelda chuckled and leaned drunkenly against Valon. "… never thought… He's a cuddle bunny, Seto Kaiba is."

"I dare you to say that to his face," Valon said flippantly.

"Okay!"

"Er, I was just kidding, Amelda. You're just full as a boot, aren't you?"

"Boots?" Amelda lifted a leg and tried to throw it across Valon's lap, nearly kneeing the Aussie in the gut. "I love my boots."

Rafael looked at Valon, who wisely decided to relieve his drunken boyfriend of the rest of his umpteenth Sex on the Beach by quickly finishing it off himself despite the redhead's protests.

"You should probably take him home," Pegasus suggested as Amelda began crawling onto Valon's lap.

Rafael nodded and slammed down the rest of his beer before standing up and stretching. "Come on, Amelda. Let's say good night to the lovebirds," he said, hauling the redhead off of Valon and walking him down towards the dance floor with the Aussie's help.

The band began playing a slower song, and Rafael and Valon held Amelda up by the stairs while people migrated from the dance floor towards the bar. After a minute, the trio began weaving their way through the remaining throng of people and stopped in front of an oblivious Seto and Yami.

The brunette CEO leaned against the railing, his eyes half-shut as Yami pressed against him and softly sang along with the words the singer was crooning.

Yami pulled back just enough to move his lips from Seto's ear to the underside of his jaw, the lyrics spilling forth against the taller teen's skin.

Amelda started trying to wiggle free of his boyfriends' grasps. "Awwwwww!" Both Seto and Yami suddenly jerked their heads up at the sound, twin glares focusing on Amelda's bleary gray-eyed gaze.

The redhead laughed in delight and suddenly lurched forward to announce, "Seto Kaiba, you're a cuddle bunny. Like my boots? Take me home." Valon burst into laughter while Yami and Rafael sniggered.

Seto continued to glower icily at Amelda. "Drink much?" he snarled.

The redhead furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate on the question. "Only if you're buying," he finally answered. Rafael frowned at his boyfriend.

Valon smiled sheepishly. "As much as I enjoy watching Amelda humiliate himself while blotto, we're going to haul his sorry ass home. We'll call you blokes tomorrow."

Yami nodded. "And Pegasus?"

Rafael looked back at the table. "Drunk and getting drunker. He already called for Crocketts to pick him up. But if it's not too much to ask, can you keep an eye on him? He usually doesn't get as goofy as Amelda, but he does tend to lose track of time."

"All right," Yami agreed. Seto scowled at him. "Have a good night." The threesome slowly made their way off the dance floor and disappeared into the dark recesses of the club.

_No way, I am NOT going to babysit that prick, Yami!_

_We're not babysitting him. It won't hurt to take a few extra minutes and make sure he gets out okay. But I hope he doesn't mind leaving a bit early. I'm starting to get tired._

_Shit! Whatever. I don't care what he wants to do. If you're tired, let's just go over there right now, grab him, drag him out the door, and then his little lackey can take things from there._

_We'll go in a minute. I still have enough energy for a few more songs, and oh... love this one!_

The pair stayed out on the dance floor for several more minutes, then finally Yami called it a night and the two headed to the table where the silver-haired CEO sat by himself. Pegasus grinned at them as they approached and pushed a pair of shot glasses forward. "Buttery Nipples?"

Seto made a face and hid his chest behind Yami's spiky hair. _Is he hitting on us? _"You better not be hitting on me."

"No, Kaiba-boy," he said with a laugh, poking at one of the glasses. "This is a Buttery Nipple. Or as Valon calls it, a Cocksucking Cowboy."

"I'm not drinking anything that sounds obscene, especially when _you_ say it like that," the brunette protested, though Yami picked up one of the glasses and took an experimental sip.

"Hmm, it's not bad…"

Pegaus smiled briefly at Yami, then turned his attention back to Seto. "Don't get your expensive designer undies in a bunch, Kaiba-boy. I could have offered you… a Blow Job, or a Violent Fuck, or a Butt…"

Seto's eye began twitching. "Jeeesus, you're trashed."

"He's even funnier when drunk," Yami said, downing the rest of the shot.

"Why, thank you Yugi, er… Yami-boy. Here, have another."

The brunette slammed his hand on top of the second glass. "Yami, don't encourage him. Look Pegasus, your drinking buddies have already gone home. So why don't you lay off the booze, pick your butt up off the chair, and come outside with us so that your lackey can pick you up, okay?"

Pegasus focused his single eye on Seto's scowling face for a long moment, then he totally crumpled. "You hate me!"

"Damn straight. Come on, get up." He tugged on Pegasus' sleeve.

Yami frowned a little. _He'd probably be more willing to come along if you pretended to like him, Seto._

_I am not going to…_

"You hate me, and Yami hates me, and everyone else left me!" the older CEO wailed.

"I don't hate you," Yami said soothingly, picking up Pegasus' jacket and giving Seto quick elbow to the ribs.

Seto made an exasperated sound. "Fine! Whatever… I don't hate you that much… anymore, okay? You're just an irritating nutcase." He forcibly hauled the taller man to his feet, then backed up in horror as Pegasus lunged for him and missed, grabbing Yami instead. The brunette billionaire immediately began peeling the silver-haired man off his boyfriend.

"You don't know how lonely I get, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus sniffed when Seto finally got him to release Yami and began guiding him towards the exit with a firm grip on his arm. Yami got out of the way and trailed behind the two taller duelists. "I go home, and there's no one there. Well, there's Crocketts and Saruwatari, but I don't want to look at them. Or sleep with them. At least you have someone pretty to sleep with."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go hit on Valon or something? Make it a four-way." _See, he just called you pretty. And he implied that he'd sleep with you. Still feel sorry for him?_

_He implied that he'd sleep with YOU. It was you he was trying to hug, Kai-baby. _Seto glared at the younger teen, who just smirked in response. _But if it makes you feel better, I think he's drunk enough that he has no idea what he's saying. _

_Hn._

"But… they don't want me!" Pegasus cried. Several people in the club turned to see what the commotion was about.

"Can't exactly blame 'em," Seto muttered to himself, hurriedly pulling the man through dance club's doors before he made even more of a scene.

_Hmm… I guess he just confirmed that he's bi, _Yami thought to point out.

_Yami, you're not helping. I don't even want to think about it. It's bad enough that I'm touching him right now._

With a bit of effort, Seto finally managed to steer Pegasus through the second set of doors and sit him down on a metal bench between the restaurant's entrance and the parking lot. Yami handed the drunken man his jacket and sat down next to him, looking expectantly at Seto. The brunette ground his teeth, then finally plopped himself on the bench next to Yami. As tempted as he was to just haul Yami over his shoulder and leave Pegasus to wallow by himself, his boyfriend was making it very clear that they were going to stay until someone showed up to pick up the silver-haired CEO.

"You both are really nice boys," Pegasus began saying, suddenly perking up. "And you make such a cute couple. I just want to hug both of you!" And with that, he latched onto Yami yet again. "Come here, Kaiba-boy!"

"NO!" yelled Seto, his hands instantly balling into fists. What did it take to get the guy to back off?

"Ahem. Mr. Crawford." Seto and Yami looked up to see a burly man in a black suit quickly approaching the bench. Seto narrowed his eyes hatefully at Saruwatari and stood up, glaring silently at the man.

"He's a bit drunk," Yami mentioned as the bodyguard went to pry his boss off the former Pharaoh. "Ah… thanks."

"They're such sweet boys, aren't they?" Pegasus gushed at Saruwatari.

"If you say so, Mr. Crawford." Saruwatari nodded briefly at the pair as he got his employer up on his feet and began walking him towards the limo waiting in the parking lot.

"That was… terrifying," Seto said, watching as Pegasus got into the limo.

"Don't complain. At least you evaded him… twice." The crimson-eyed teen muffled a yawn.

Seto smirked slightly and began steering Yami to the valet station. "Well, at least now we know why Valon's little bunch has so much cash. Pegasus must pay them a lot to put up with him."

"Heh." Yami gave his boyfriend a sly glance. "And you're a dream to work for, right?"

"Hmph! At least **I** don't molest my employees."

"You'd better not! But… even though you don't like him, thanks for helping him out. I do feel a little sorry for him."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't make a big deal of it. I didn't do it for him, you know."

Yami chuckled softly and placed a hand at the small of his lover's back. "I know. Thank you, Kai-baby."

"Hn. Well… you're welcome."

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):   
- Gah… long chapter! Originally the emphasis was supposed to be on the shopping trip, but I had so much fun with the club scenes (and wrote 'em first) that I pretty much glossed over the shopping trip.  
- Re: clubbing clothes. Okay, here is the breakdown of where I found the outfits. Seto: top is Calvin Klein (based on an orange mesh shirt from my husband's closet), pants are "Glitch" from SludgeFaktory. Yami: top is Lip Service's "Point of No Return" from "Drastik Plastik" line (it does NOT come in orange… I Photoshopped that color), pants are Lip Service's "Expose-A-Pant" from "4-Way Gang Bang" line. Valon: top is Diesel, pants are Tripp NYC. Amelda: top is "Asymmetrical Tank" from theAesthetik, skirt/pants are "Skant" from theAesthetik. Rafael: top is Lip Service's "Dog Team Shirt" from "Black Dog Sweaters" line, pants are just... jeans LOL. Pegasus: entire ensemble is from a time warp to the early/mid 70s.  
- The Crazy Horse was a 21 and over club, but for this fic, just pretend it was 18 and over :) And yes, they did have live disco music on Friday and Saturday nights. They didn't allow drinks on the dance floor, but I put that in since guys seem to dance better with a beer in hand ^^ and I wanted to see someone(s) get sloshed.  
- Lyrics came from the following songs (listed in chronological order): He's the Greatest Dancer, Take Your Time (Do it Right), Shake Your Groove Thing, Ain't No Stopping Us Now, How Deep is Your Love. ALL lyrics have been deleted from ffnet version.  
- Re: Aussie slang. "Full as a boot" and "blotto" both mean drunk or intoxicated. I know I haven't been explaining what Valon says chapter by chapter, so here's a few more clarifications. In Ch.1, "whacker" - idiot, dick. In Ch. 4, "having a naughty" - having sex, "mad as a cut snake" - very angry, "sunbake" - sunbathe. In Ch. 5, "chucking a sickie" - faking illness to take a sick day from work, "station" - ranch. I think that's all of them.  
- I love obscene drink names and yes, all the ones I used in this story are real.


	8. Ch 7: Endless Summer Nights

Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Endless Summer Nights" is performed and recorded by Richard Marx. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

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**Ch. 7: Endless Summer Nights**

* * *

Exhausted by hours of dancing, Yami fell asleep during the short drive back to the hotel. Seto carried his lover onto the elevator and up to their suite, roused him enough to get him out of his ridiculously tight pants and into the shower, then had to finish drying him off when the ex-spirit fell asleep while performing the task himself. Tired beyond words, the taller teen curled up beside his boyfriend after getting himself cleaned up, promptly falling asleep as well.

Early the next morning, Seto awoke to the faint sound of laughter. Puzzled, he blearily opened his eyes just as the door creaked open and a warm weight settled itself onto his back, quickly followed by a light, soothing caress feathering over his spine and shoulders.

_Good morning,_ Yami's mental voice purred.

_Mm… morning._ It was a nice way to wake up, almost as good as a cup of coffee. Seto stretched his legs out, extending his back, and melted under Yami's gentle touch. _Was… I thought I heard…_

_Oh, sorry I woke you. I was watching some TV. _

_Mmm._

Yami leaned down and settled himself on his lover's back as he put a little more muscle into the massage. He was pleased to see that Seto's entire body was much more relaxed than usual, the result of their vacation, he supposed. A slightly bitter smile flitted across his face. _You do realize… it's our last day here._

Seto's shoulders tensed slightly. _Hn. Vacations aren't meant to last forever, Yami._

_I know. _The younger duelist began moving his palms in small circles, brushing his fingers over the outline of the tattoo which stood out boldly against the pale skin. _So… did you enjoy your first official vacation?_

Seto took moment to gather his thoughts. _Admittedly, it wasn't what I originally expected. Not sure what I expected, actually. But riding at Pegasus' ranch, shopping with Amelda, critiquing art with Rafael, watching fireworks off Valon's yacht… and dear God, last night's fiasco… well, those things certainly weren't on my itinerary. But… I guess I'm okay with that, now that I think about it._

_So no regrets, huh?_

_Well, there is one…_ The brunette slowly rolled himself over and Yami tumbled onto the right side of the bed.

_Really? What's that?_

_You promised me wild and crazy sex until we wore out the mattress. Well, I don't see any wear or tear on this bed at all._ He rolled over again until he was on top of Yami and wedged between parted legs, then brushed back his boyfriend's hair and trailed his fingers down a cheekbone until his fingertips brushed against soft lips.

Yami kissed the offered fingers as the brunette ground his burgeoning arousal against his lover's groin. _Horny little devil._

_Hmph. There's nothing little about me. And I'll be happy to prove that to you._

The crimson-eyed teen merely smiled in response as his boyfriend began stripping his robe off of him.

* * *

Some twenty minutes later, Yami snuck out of the bedroom looking a bit more rumpled and a lot more flushed. Both Rafael and Valon gave him amused looks, though the blonde had his hand placed firmly over his lover's mouth as the brunette shook with silent laughter.

Yami just gave the pair a charming smile.

"Well… that was… different," Rafael whispered, finally releasing Valon from his stranglehold.

"Heh… I know you said you were going to put him back to sleep, but ah… wasn't expecting that. You're quite loud, I must say."

Yami quirked an eyebrow at Valon. "It wasn't my original plan. I thought he'd just go back to sleep after a backrub but… Hey, wait a minute! He only woke up because he heard you laughing. If he wakes up again, I'm sending you in there!"

"Hey, don't blame me, mate. If he saw this picture…" and Valon picked up a very unflattering candid photo of Seto rolling his eyes at a display at the Getty, "Well, he'd probably die of embarrassment. After burning the print and the memory card. And killing Rafael for snapping the shot."

"And killing me for unintentionally burning the image into my memory? Oh hell," Yami snatched the print and went to rip it in half, but Valon tried to grab it back.

"Come on, let me keep it. Please!"

"No!" The Sennen Eye lit up on Yami's forehead.

Rafael quickly snatched the photo out of the former Pharaoh's grasp and tore it up, eliciting a groan of disappointment from Valon and an amused snigger from Yami. "There, now no one has to go to the Shadow Realm."

"Too bad. I was so looking forward to sending Valon there."

The brunette stuck his tongue out at Yami, then picked up another stack of photos. "How long you think he'll stay asleep for?"

"Well, he fell asleep right after… oh, shut up Valon!" Yami smacked the Aussie on the arm as he snickered. "Anyways, I think I bought us two more hours or so." The ex-spirit grabbed another pile of pictures and began flipping through them, pulling out prints that he liked.

"We should be done and out of here by then," said Rafael. "So you think he'll accept our invitation?"

"I don't see why not."

* * *

Several hours later, Seto awoke to find himself naked and sprawled face down on the bed. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him it was nearly noon, so he rolled over and called out to Yami, who walked in with his cellphone in hand.

"Uh huh… yeah, that sounds great!" Yami said to whoever was on the other end. Seto guessed it was Valon, since the Aussie seemed to be awfully buddy-buddy with Yami as of late. "Oh come on… I'm sure you're a great cook. Wait, hold on…" _Seto._

_Let me guess… Valon?_

_We don't have any plans today, right Baby?_

"Well I thought we could go to the Montage Spa today…" Seto said aloud, sitting up and enunciating the words so that he could be heard over the phone.

Yami listened to Valon's response, then relayed it. "Valon said, 'Or you could spend the day having fun with us!' Kai-baby…"

Seto groaned. _We've spent most of this week with those fools! Is it too much to ask for a day where it's just you and me?_

The younger teen frowned slightly, though inwardly he was thrilled that Seto wanted to have a day all to themselves. He would have to take him up on the offer on a later date. _But isn't it nice that we've made some new friends here?_

_Friends? Last I checked, they were our enemies. In case you've forgotten, all four of those dweebs tried to steal our souls at one point or another. And yes, I'm including Pegasus in that bunch._

_That's all in the past. You realize that if we all held on to our grudges forever, then you and I would never have gotten together._

_Whatever. I don't need a friendship talk from you. Look, I like having you around. And I tolerate your friends because of you. But I don't need them! I only need you._ Seto blinked in surprise at his own statement. _If I just said it, does that mean it's true?_

Yami gave his perplexed lover a gentle smile_. That would make sense, yes. So…?_

The CEO sighed aloud. _So what type of torture do they have planned for us today? More art exhibits? Watch Rafael get drunk instead? What does it take, a whole case of vodka? _

_They want us to come over and see their place, then maybe hang out on the beach and have a barbecue for dinner… that's all._

_That's all? Sounds like an all-day affair._ Seto rested his chin in his hand. _You really want to do this, huh? _Yami nodded, his crimson eyes lighting up. _The things I do for you… Oh, all right…_

_Thank you, Kai-baby!_ He bent down and planted a kiss on the brunette's brow. "Okay, Valon, we're on. Yeah, well… we'll be there in about an hour and a half, maybe two. Yes, I have the directions written down. Mmhmm, we'll see you later then!"

* * *

By 2:00 PM, Seto found himself sitting with Amelda underneath a large beach umbrella on a semi-private stretch of hot California sand while Yami, Valon and Rafael played an odd game of rugby / tag out in the surf. The young billionaire snarled softly every time Rafael dumped Yami in the water or Valon tackled him to the ground, but from all the laughter, it was obvious that the ex-spirit didn't mind the roughhousing. However, that didn't mean that Seto wasn't seriously consider breaking Valon's hands if they strayed one more time over Yami's scantily clad ass. Where on Earth did the younger teen find such tiny trunks anyways, and did he realize that the bright orange hook-and-eye fly was just begging to be undone?

"You really are possessive, aren't you? Actually, you both are, come to think of it." Amelda finally said, tipping his sunglasses down just far enough to peer at the brunette.

Seto turned and gave him an odd look. He had thought the redhead was still hung over from the night before, considering that he hadn't said a word since they arrived. "No."

"Well, why are you sitting here when you'd rather be out there?"

"Probably because I'd sunburn in about 15 seconds, like you."

"All right, fine..." Amelda sat back in his lounger. "So how are your brothers? Isn't it Mokuba's birthday today?"

Blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. I should be at home."

"I… see. But he didn't want you to postpone your trip?"

"Hn. Don't think you know anything about me just because I've been stuck with you and your cronies for the past week."

Amelda just furrowed his brow before the crunch of footsteps caught their joint attention. "Actually, Mokuba and Noa Kaiba and Yugi Mutou were the ones who set this vacation up, isn't that right, Kaiba-boy?" Pegasus asked, all smiles as he unfolded a beach chair and placed it next to Seto's.

"Pegasus. And I thought I was finally rid of you, what with your impressive performance last night. I didn't know you were so… touchy."

Amelda blinked at at the silver-haired man. "You made a pass at him?"

Seto slapped his hand against his forehead. "You BOTH made passes at me!"

"I did not!" both men protested.

"Pegasus, you told me you were lonely and offered me a Blow Job and a Violent Fuck after complimenting my Buttery Nipples," Seto retorted. "And then you tried to hug me... twice!" Both Pegasus and Amelda gaped at Seto until he let his smirk slip through.

The older CEO scratched his head. "I hate to say this, but I can't tell if you're joking or not. Please tell me you're referring to the shots."

"When do I ever joke? But I did have to peel you off Yami twice. You're lucky I didn't break your face."

Amelda chuckled. "I didn't know Yami was your type, Pegasus."

"I didn't know **I** was your type either, Amelda," Seto threw in, causing the redhead to blink again in confusion. "You called me a cuddle bunny, asked me to compliment your boots, then requested I take you home."

"Cuddle… bunny?"

"Haha. I remember that part, Amelda. Valon dared you to tell Kaiba that to his face. I guess you did," Pegasus said as Valon came trotting up to the trio, salt water dripping from his bangs.

"I dared who what? Geez, look at the three of you… you're all so pale the light reflecting off your skin hurts my… ouch!" A football bounced off the back of Valon's head and innocently rolled away a few inches.

"Oops, was that your head?" Rafael deadpanned.

Yami ran up and joined the conversation with a laugh. "Nice shot, Rafael."

"Of course."

Valon frowned at both of his playmates. "You do realize Yami, if Rafael had missed, he would've nailed your boyfriend in the face instead."

"And then I would have congratulated him with a one-way trip to the Shadow Realm, after sending you there first for ducking out of the way," Yami finished up cheerfully, planting his sea-soaked behind on Seto's lap and grabbing a bottle of drinking water. The brunette scowled as his board shorts absorbed the seawater, but promptly forgot about it as Yami ground his butt hard against his crotch.

"I'm still trying to figure out which of you is more possessive," said Amelda after a moment of silence.

"He is," Yami and Seto answered at the same time, each pointing to the other.

* * *

After several hours out in the sun, the six duelists retired to the duplex the former Doom members shared. Valon fired up the grill out on the deck while Amelda mixed drinks in the kitchen. Not wanting to see what would happen if Amelda and Pegasus managed to get sloshed again, Seto followed Yami out onto the deck, where the younger teen stood watching the waves crash onto the sandy beach just beyond the house.

_You remember our talk about getting a vacation house, Kai-baby?_ Yami asked as Seto wrapped his long arms around his lover's shoulders.

_I remember you talking about it, yes._ Yami smiled deviously. _Oh no… if you were going to suggest that we buy the townhouse next door…_

_Why not? It's for sale, and this is a great spot._

_Maybe because I don't want to live next door to these nutjobs?_

_These "nutjobs" have been considerate enough to take time out of their schedule to show us around and I've had a great time on this trip because of it. Why can't you accept that they're no longer our rivals or enemies?_

_Whatever, Yami. I didn't ask for them to take us around. I didn't even ask for a vacation._

_So you didn't have a good time? Is that what you're saying? Honestly, Seto… _Yami turned to Valon and asked, "Where is _it_?"

"Hmm? Oh… _that_. Up in my room. Third floor, door on the left."

"What?" The young billionaire blinked. _What in the world are they talking about?_

"Come inside, Baby. I need to show you something." Taking his lover's hand, Yami led Seto inside, sat him in a chair, and disappeared up to the third floor.

Seto scowled as Pegasus, Rafael and Amelda wandered in from the kitchen and sat down on the sofa across from him, studying him with curiosity in their eyes. "Jesus, what the fuck is with you people?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said just as the crimson-eyed teen came back down with something behind his back.

Yami waited until Valon stepped inside as well, then turned to Seto and said, "Baby, remember how I told you I had Mokuba's birthday gift covered? Well, I had everyone here help out with this, since I wanted it to be a surprise, but… well, anyways, here it is."

Seto cocked an eyebrow as Yami handed him a photo album. "Um, okay…"

_Open it, silly._

_Hmph. I was going to. _The brunette CEO cracked open the album, which was stuffed with candid photos taken during their stay in California. While it was a nice, if rather arbitrary, collection of pictures, Seto didn't understand why his little brother would want it. _Okay, you'll have to explain this to me. Mokuba asked for pictures?_

Yami chuckled and draped himself over Seto's shoulder. "Not exactly. But before we left, I asked him if he wanted anything, and he said, 'If Seto has a good time, that'll be the best gift of all.' So that's what I'm trying to give him, you… grouch. We've been snapping candid shots for this all week… you didn't think we were just taking pictures of the scenery, did you? I don't think I've seen a better compilation of pictures of you, well… enjoying life. _Ever_."

"… Ah." Seto continued to review the photos, but began flipping through the pages much more slowly than before.

Valon frowned. "That's it? How about a thank you instead?"

Yami and Seto both glared at him, and Yami added, "Your steaks are charring."

"Er… right." The Aussie sheepishly headed back out to the deck.

"You know, we didn't do this for a thank you, Kaiba," Amelda said once the youngest ex-Doom member shut the door. "I'd like to think that Miruko… well, maybe he would have wanted the same thing for me. To be happy, I mean." Seto's head jerked up and his eyes met Amelda's momentarily.

"Same with Sonia and Julien," Rafael added gruffly. Next to him, Pegasus silently folded his arms across his chest, obviously thinking about Cyndia as well.

_Does it make sense now, Seto? _

_Yeah… I guess. You really think… Mokuba will like this? _Seto's fingers slowly traced the border of a photo taken the previous night at the Crazy Horse. Someone else must have snapped the picture, because all six of them were in it. And right below that, there was an image of him leaning against the railing on the dance floor with Yami singing against his cheek. _How come I didn't notice the flash when these were taken?_

_To answer your first question, I think he'll love it. I know he's smart enough to understand the sentiment behind it. And besides, Mokuba's got too many video games anyways. What's the point of giving him another stack? And as far as your second question… well, you're oblivious to a lot of things. At least when I'm around._

_Hmph. I have no idea what you're talking about. _

_I know. Like I said, oblivious. Anyways, I'm going to go outside and make sure Valon isn't stewing too much, all right? _Yami stroked Seto's hair, then straightened back up and walked through the French doors leading to the deck.

The brunette took his time flipping through the rest of the album, then slowly shut it before clearing his throat and addressing the three duelists on the sofa. "You're right, Amelda. I believe… it's exactly what he… what they would have wanted. All of them."

* * *

Yami stood silently by the grill for several minutes, watching as Valon focused his attention on the barbecue. He knew the Aussie wasn't too happy with Seto at the moment, but he wasn't going to broach the subject unless Valon wanted to talk about it.

The ex-Doom member finally sighed and glanced over at Yami. With a sudden grin, Valon cheerfully said, "Ah, hell… I'm not sore about it, Yami. I know he's a wanker," before viciously skewering a piece of meat and flipping it over.

Yami winced a little. The poor steak was going to lose all of its juiciness if Valon kept jabbing it like that. "Seto's not a… whatever you just called him. But since I know he'll never say it, then I'll do it for him. Thank you for your help, Valon. It really was nice of you to pitch in."

"You're welcome. Ah? Huh… he must've said something to make Amelda happy." Valon's expression softened as he peered into the living room and Yami craned his neck to see the redhead handing Seto a cocktail. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter if Kaiba's grateful or not. As long as he stops acting like a prick to Amelda, I don't care."

"Amelda?"

The Aussie shrugged. "He said something about Miroku and Mokuba earlier today. You know how that goes. But, ah… We get on well, don't you think? Me and you I mean."

"Yes, I think so."

"You know, the other townhouse is up for grabs."

Yami walked over to the edge of the deck and sat himself up on the railing, looking over his shoulder at the sweeping view. "Amelda mentioned it to us yesterday. And I asked Seto about it earlier."

"And?"

"I don't know. He wasn't enthusiastic about it. I won't force him to do anything that he doesn't want to do, even if it would be for his own good."

"What's for my own good?" Seto asked, suddenly stepping out onto the deck with a Screwdriver in hand. He took a quick sip and admired his boyfriend over the rim of the glass.

"Buying the duplex next door," Valon said unabashedly. Both brunettes stared at each other.

"Is that so." Seto said evenly. "Well, that particular house isn't on the market anymore, as of a few minutes ago."

Valon blinked. "Huh? But it was just listed…"

Excited, Yami cut him off. "Baby, does that mean…?"

"Don't get too worked up over it, Yami. It's just a good investment at this time, even if I offered more than the asking price," the young CEO said coolly, wandering over to place himself between the ex-spirit's thighs.

"A good investment…" Yami smirked and looped his arms around Seto's neck. _Is that what I am?_

_What makes you think this is for you? It makes sense for me to have a conveniently located residence for my business trips, and also the housing market here is really hot right now._

_So I had nothing to do with it, hmm? Not even a little? Even though you're buying it sight unseen?_

_Well… maybe just a little bit._

_How little? Give me a number. Five percent? Ten?_

_Just a tiny bit, like I said. God, don't be pushy._

_One percent? _Yami pouted playfully, his legs twining around Seto's waist.

The brunette billionaire shrugged. _Maybe… 99 percent? Give or take a little._

Yami laughed out loud. _Only__ 99 percent?! In what universe is that tiny?_

_Does it matter?_

"Hey you two, you're not going to start going at it on my deck, right? Not that I'd complain or anything, but er… there is sort of a law against public fornication."

"Fuck the public," Seto scoffed as Yami commandeered his drink.

Valon grinned, his eyes bright with mischievousness. "No no, not fuck the public. Fucking in public."

"Whatever. And since we're going to be neighbors, I'm going to ask that you keep your kinks to a minimum. If I ever see a four-way out on the deck, I might be inclined to kill all of you and dump your bodies in the ocean for the sharks to eat."

"A four-way? Who's the fourth… oh. Hahaha, that's funny! But since we're on the subject of neighbors and noise levels, you may want to talk to your boyfriend about keeping it down while rooting, hmm? Cause he's a real screamer."

"What the HELL are you talking about?"

Yami glared at Valon. "So, _Valon_… don't you have something inside that you have to do?"

"Ah, nope."

"Yes you do." A brief flash of light flitted across Yami's forehead.

"Why, you're right! I totally forgot. Ah… watch the barbie, okay?" Valon hastily scurried away.

_All right, what gives?_

_Nothing, Kai-baby._

_He was over at the hotel this morning, wasn't he?_

_Well, sort of. Rafael was too._

_Oh God, Yami! _Seto groaned. _Should we just fuck in front of Amelda and get it over with? Because it's inevitable you know. Or would a sex tape suffice?_

_If you had just gone back to sleep after the backrub like you were supposed to, then they wouldn't have heard anything because there wouldn't have been anything to hear!_

Blue eyes narrowed. _So this is my fault when you're the one screaming his head off? "Ohh, fuck me harder, Baby!!"_

Yami couldn't help but smile in the face of his boyfriend's annoyance. _You like it when I'm loud, Baaaaby._

_Hn. You should thank all your Egyptian gods each and every day that you're sexy and hot in the sack, or I'd have dumped your ass a long time ago for mouthing off to me._

_Oh please… you like it. Besides, who else would put up with you?_

_Me? What about you, Mr. Bow-before-the-almighty-Pharaoh?_

_What do you…_

Pegasus popped his head out the door. "Can Valon come back out yet? He's annoying us in here."

"If he promises to behave, I suppose he can come back," Yami responded with a dramatic sigh.

Valon ran back out triumphantly and jogged over to the grill with a wink.

* * *

After a very nice dinner and an impromptu game of hearts around the dining room table, which Yami won easily, Seto reluctantly announced that he and Yami had to leave in order to catch their flight home. The mood in the room immediately became somber and everyone shut up for a minute.

"Well, at least remember to come back and visit some time," Amelda finally said, breaking the silence.

"Since I'm buying the other duplex, it's not like I have much of a choice," Seto muttered.

"Buying it is one thing. Using it is another, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said. "Don't work so hard."

"Maybe you guys could come visit us sometime in the future," Yami suggested, ignoring Seto's grunt of protest.

"Oooh, is that a standing invite?" Valon asked.

"Sure, for everyone except you… ow!" Seto turned and glared at his lover for poking him in the ribs. "Oh fine, you can come too. I wouldn't want Rafael and Amelda to have to go through the embarrassment of hiring a babysitter to watch over you."

"Ha. I'll miss you too, you bastard."

Rafael smiled at his brunette boyfriend. "Well, do you two need a ride to the airport then? I noticed that the trunk on the Prowler is about as big as a grocery bag."

"The rental place already sent a limo down to pick up our luggage from the hotel. We just need to return the car and the limo will take us to LAX," Seto replied.

"… but thank you for your offer, Rafael," Yami added, eyeing his boyfriend. _You aren't going to thank them for anything, are you?_

_Nah._

"All right then." Rafael stood up and everyone else followed suit. "It was an interesting week, that's for sure." He held out his hand and Seto accepted it, shaking it firmly. Yami did the same.

"Take care of yourselves," said Amelda, also shaking their hands.

"And take care of each other," Pegasus said before exchanging handshakes with the two departing duelists.

"Hooroo. But I'm not bothering with handshakes. Come on, give me a hug." Valon extended his arms out to both Yami and Seto, but the brunette CEO backed off with a snarl. The two shorter teens both laughed as they quickly embraced sans Seto.

"Okay, that's enough, go hug someone else, dork," Seto decided after about a second, forcing himself between his boyfriend and the exuberant Aussie. Valon took advantage of Seto's positioning to lasso him into the hug.

"Come on mates, group hug!"

"Oh heck, why not?" said Pegasus, joining the fray. Amelda and Rafael followed right after him.

Seto growled in displeasure as he was surrounded and squeezed. _Yami, do something!_

_Hmm?_

_A Mind Crush would be appropriate right about now!_

The former Pharaoh looked up at his lover and grinned. _… Nah._

* * *

TBC

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):   
- One more chapter (epilogue) to go. I'm feeling a bit… nostalgic as this story wraps up. Frankly, I guess I want it to continue endlessly. But vacations don't last forever, as Seto pointed out.  
- Despite the temptation, I didn't put anyone in thongs or teeny weeny Speedos. Those are sorta ick to me unless you're a professional swimmer or something. I like board shorts. But I made a concession for Yami and stuck him in something a little sexier :) Yami's swim trunks are by Roberto Cavalli and I'll put a picture of them up on my site.  
- Re: Aussie slang. "Whacker" idiot, dick, "Rooting" fucking, "Barbie" barbecue, "Hooroo" goodbye.


	9. Epilogue: Follow Your Bliss

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "The Boys of Summer" is performed and recorded by Don Henley. "Follow Your Bliss" is performed and recorded by The B-52s. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

Setup for this fic:  
- See Chapter 2 for setup on this fic.  
- This epilogue takes place on the Friday after Seto and Yami get back from their California vacation.

**

* * *

The Boys of Summer**

**Epilogue: Follow Your Bliss**

* * *

Seto leaned against the island countertop and watched as Yami tossed a salad with one hand while stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce with the other. The brunette never understood why they didn't just order out for pizza, but if his lover got some weird thrill out of feeding a dozen or so guests on a weekly basis, so be it.

_I don't get a "weird thrill" out of it. I like cooking, Baby. And since this is technically the second half of Mokuba's birthday party…_

_Yeah yeah, I know. _Seto sighed aloud. _So are you sure that he'll like…?_

_For the last time… he'll love it. I promise. _Yami gave Seto a reassuring smile and let his sense of calm spread through their link. Seto relaxed a little at the warmth tickling the back of his mind and smiled back hesitantly after a few moments.

The former Pharaoh was still a bit surprised at how well they had both adjusted to being in a near-constant linked state, but the benefits definitely outweighed the detriments. Other than an instance early in the week where Yugi accidentally got caught in the loop during… a more intimate moment, Yami found that a even a toned-down mind link was useful for stabilizing Seto's mood, entertaining him during long meetings at KaibaCorp, and of course, having the most fantastic sex ever.

_"Entertaining" huh? More like distracting. Especially when you sent me all sorts of triple X rated images while I was in the middle of a quarterly budget meeting. I'll never look at that conference table the same way again._

_Kai-baby, you were half asleep before I decided to interfere, so it's not like you were paying any extra attention to the matter beforehand. Besides, I've been minimizing our link anyways while you're working, so it not THAT much of a distraction._

"Nii-sama!" Both Seto and Yami turned to see Mokuba standing in the doorway. "Did you hear me?"

The brunette looked over at his boyfriend, then back at his brother. "No."

Mokuba made a slight sound of exasperation, though he was more amused than upset. "I said that everyone's here, so we can start eating any time now, okay?"

"Dinner will be ready in… 15 more minutes," Yami said, motioning at two platters of bruschetta. "But for the time being, you can get everyone started on the appetizers."

"Okay! Cause the faster we eat, the faster I get my birthday gift…" the black-haired teen sang as he grabbed both plates and took them to the dining room.

_He's going to hate it,_ Seto began complaining again.

Yami groaned and sent his lover a mental image of him beating his head against the wall.

_

* * *

Less talk, more eating! _Mokuba grumbled to himself as he watched Yugi-tachi fire questions left and right at Yami and Seto about their vacation. Everyone wanted to know about the sights they had seen, and Pegasus' drunken antics, and the vacation house Seto had bought on a whim. And in return, Yami was pestering Yugi and Anzu about when they were going to go out for their first date while the pair tried to dodge the subject, their cheeks red with embarrassment. Even Jou and Honda were wasting their time with conversation instead of simply shoveling food in their mouths as fast as possible. While Mokuba really wasn't an impatient person, he was anxious to see what his birthday gift was. He had expected his brother to come home and dump a pile of video games on his lap, but when that didn't happen, he knew Yami must have convinced Seto to get him something different for once. But what was it? And why couldn't he get it earlier in the week? 

After several more minutes of chitchat, Mokuba finally blurted out, "Okay, Yami, you already told us about how Nii-sama saved you from a horrible sunburn three times now! So can you guys like eat faster so we can get to my birthday gift already?"

Noa laughed. "You're not impatient or anything, are you, Otouto?"

"I want my birthday gift! I want to know what the big secret is!" Mokuba huffed, not caring that it made him sound like a 5-year-old.

Seto and Yami both glanced at the pouting young teen. "Mokuba, when…" Seto began.

Yami continued the rest of the thought. "… everyone's done eating…"

"It's creepy how you guys keep doing that," Honda commented as he helped himself to more tortellini.

"Doing what?" Seto, Yami and Yugi asked simultaneously. Yami grinned at his other half while Seto rolled his eyes.

"Okay, that was triple creepy," said Jou, waving a piece of bread at Yugi. "It was bad enough when you and Yami were doin' it, Yug. But now I'm gettin' it in stereo."

"I think it would be cool if we could all mind link to each other, don't you think?" Anzu asked, smiling dreamily.

"NO!" a bunch of voices chorused.

"Only if you want free porn," Malik clarified, snickering. Seto turned and glared at the tombkeeper, who wisely decided to shut up.

"Well, I think it'd be cool if we could all mind link," Mokuba volunteered. "Then you could all EAT while you were talking, instead of just talking…"

"What, your brother hasn't bought you enough video games yet?" Otogi asked.

"All right, all right… We get the idea, kiddo," Mai said, picking up her fork and digging into her salad. "Come on you guys, before Mokuba really pitches a fit…"

* * *

When dinner was finally over, Mokuba enlisted Noa's help to herd everyone into the family room while Yami went upstairs to fetch all the goodies they had brought back from California. Seto settled into his favorite recliner and watched as Yugi-tachi squabbled over seating arrangements. Mokuba, Noa, Yugi and Anzu ended up on the longest part of the sectional while Otogi, Shizuka and Honda grabbed the shorter half. Mai took the armchair. Jou, Malik and Bakura just picked out spots on the floor.

"Okay, I think I have everything," Yami announced as he juggled an armload of gift bags plus a digital camera, carefully placing them all on the coffee table. Taking the camera with him, the crimson-eyed teen sat himself down on Seto's lap and waited for some photo opportunities to arise. Several pairs of eyes darted in Yami's direction as he fiddled with the camera, but when Seto made no move to dislodge his lover and even went as far as wrapping his arms around Yami's waist, they all gradually turned back to the pile of gifts on the table.

"Me first!" Mokuba instantly darted to the pile of gifts and searched for his name on the gift tags. "Hey… where is it?"

Yami gave the excited teen a wicked smile. "Yours isn't in the pile."

"What?! Aww, man!"

"Geez, Yami, just give it to him," Seto groused.

"Not yet. Mokuba, I promise… it'll be worth the wait. But you can hand out everyone else's things in the meantime. Um… actually, wait a second." _Which ones did you want to do last?_

_Mai's. And Malik's and Bakura's._

"Okay, just make sure to save Mai's bag and Malik's and Bakura's bag for last."

Gray eyes narrowed skeptically, but Mokuba went ahead and started doling out gift bags. There were murmurs of appreciation as everyone dug into their bags. Shizuka was quite happy with her new purse, and Anzu beamed at the sight of the ballerina in the little painting Yami had picked up, then helped Yugi try on his new jewelry. Noa instantly buckled on his new watch and both Honda and Otogi eagerly pulled on their new Hawaiian shirts right away. Jou watched his friends for a while, as he was a bit hesitant to look in his bag, but when he finally did, his jaw dropped.

"Oh my God… it's Chloe! Wow, Yami, this is great!" the blonde exclaimed, his fingers running over the El Camino painted onto a wooden plaque.

"Yeah, Seto has great taste, doesn't he?" Yami answered blithely.

Jou nearly choked as he looked up at the ex-spirit and the smug brunette behind him. "Se… Kaiba? He picked this out?"

Seto made sure that he had his best smirk plastered on his face, then said, "Articulate as always, Mutt. And yes, I did."

"Oh… shut up, Rich Boy."

"Hn. You're welcome."

Mokuba walked over and poked his brother in the arm. "Can I hand out the rest of the stuff yet, Nii-sama?"

"Mai's first."

The busty blonde cocked an eyebrow as Mokuba handed her a bag. "Okay, what gives? Why am I getting singled out?"

Yami laughed. "Just open it… it won't bite."

"Hard," added Seto, smirking.

Mai's other eyebrow joined the first. "Hmm…" She stuck her hand in the bag and pulled out the first thing she encountered. "Well, it's cute, whatever it…" And then her eyes widened and she began laughing hard, accidentally dropping item on the floor.

"Wait, you got her a squeaky toy? I don't get it," said Jou, leaning down to pick up the wrapped item.

"Hahahahaha. No… hehehehe… Jou, don't!"

"'I Rub My Doggie?' What's a… Oh crap, it's a sex toy?!" Jou threw his arms up and the vibrator went sailing through the air, landing on Yugi's lap.

Seto buried his face in Yami's hair as his body shook with nearly silent laughter. The former Pharaoh just grinned and snapped photos of Yugi tossing the vibe back at Jou, bouncing it off his forehead. "Mai, there's more…"

"Oh really?" She grinned and dug out the cock harness and leash. "Hahahaa, this is rich!! You guys are too funny!"

"Do I even wanna know?" Jou asked, eyeing the contraption in Mai's hands.

"Don't blame me for it," Yami remarked. "Seto said you two needed to, and I quote, 'Get a clue.'" Noa and Mokuba glanced at each other, then over at Seto, who just shrugged.

Mai smiled in comprehension. "I see… Well, Jounouchi?"

"Huh?"

Shizuka made a face at her brother. "Onii-san, ask her out!" she whispered harshly.

"Oh… OHH. Errrr…" The blonde teen blushed, then cleared his throat and looked around uncomfortably. He had been interested in dating the beautiful duelist pretty much from the moment they met, though he certainly wasn't expecting to be pushed into it, and not at that exact moment. But with his sister and friends all looking at him expectantly, and the realization that Yugi had just garnered the courage to ask Anzu out only a week prior... "So um… Mai… you wanna go out sometime? Or something?" he asked a spot of air between the armchair and the ceiling.

_Not exactly sweeping me off my feet… but… _"Well… I don't know, Jou," she began, watching in amusement as Jou's jaw went slack. "But I suppose Valon's out of the question now, _and_ I've always had a soft spot for puppies... So I guess that's a yes, or something." She threw Jou a wink.

"Yay!" Shizuka began cheering.

Jou blushed. "Re… really? Ya mean that? Cool! …eh, wait, did you just insult me?"

"Wow, that was slick, Mutt."

"But she said yes," Yami added, nudging Seto in the ribs.

"She should have said no. Oh well… Mokuba, you can give Malik and Bakura their gift now. I truly hope you guys like it." He gave the pair a truly evil grin.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Bakura asked as Malik took the bag from Mokuba's hands.

Malik shrugged and began digging through the bag. "Oh look, I guess this is for you," the Egyptian said as he pulled out the penis enlargement pump.

The white-haired teen turned bright red. "Oh my word!!" he gasped.

Seto sniggered. "No no, all that shit's for you, Malik."

"Can we say, 'I don't think so?' Wow… okay, what the hell? Hey Ryou, I can hardly wait to use this on you…" Malik waved the boxed dong at his boyfriend, who made a wheezing sound in response. "Holy crap, this thing is huge! Where'd you guys find this stuff?"

Yami snapped another picture. "My Baby's a pervert; what can I say?"

Seto snorted. "You're the one who was all, 'Oh, let's get more butt plugs. This one matches my eyes.'"

"Um… hello? Some of us don't want to know!" Honda protested, but Yami cut him off.

"Yeah, and you were the one who wanted to get them the rectal speculum and cock restraint."

"Cock restraint?" Malik went back to digging in the gift bag while Bakura quite literally began choking on his own spit. "Ryou, breathe! Geez… see, I told you we should have picked up more hardcore stuff for their anniversary. No one wants sparkle powder and fluffy handcuffs."

"Actually, we used the powder up that night. It was tasty, right Kai-baby?" Yami purred, wiggling a little on his boyfriend's lap.

"My ears! My virgin ears!" Jou howled, his eyes bugging out.

"A virgin, huh. Hope you don't mind training the poor puppy, Mai."

"No, I don't mind," she responded, batting her long lashes at a horrified Jou.

"Oh, I know! We can do a double date!" Anzu suddenly decided, her eyes lighting up. "Right Yugi? It'd be fun!"

Jou instantly pounced on the idea. "That sounds like a GREAT idea. Whaddya say, Mai?"

Mai just shrugged. _Awww, he's shy. _"That's fine with me. Yugi?"

_Aibou, Seto just told me that he wants to make it a triple date._

_A triple date? You guys want to come along?_

_Hey Yugi, can you hear me? I'll even let you guys use the limo._

Yugi narrowed his eyes marginally at Seto. _Okay, what's going on?_

_I'm just trying to be nice, but fine, whatever, _the brunette responded peevishly.

Yugi blocked Seto off and turned his attention to his other half. _Yami… _

_He suggested it. I was just passing the message on._

The violet-eyed teen sighed, then said, "You guys want to make it a triple date?"

"You mean with Malik and Bakura?" Anzu asked.

"Hey that sounds like fun!" Malik cheered while patting Bakura on his back. "Breathe, Ryou... nice and easy."

"Well…" Yugi turned to look at Seto and Yami. "Then it'd be a quadruple date, cause Kaiba's offering us the use of his limo if he and Yami get to come along."

"That's uncharacteristically nice of him," Otogi said, wincing when Yami, Mokuba and Noa all started protesting at the comment. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, yeesh!"

"So can I get my gift _now_?" Mokuba asked, turning to give Yami a pleading look.

"All right… it's in your brother's briefcase, if you want to go get it."

Mokuba scrunched up his nose. "Buried somewhere under your…"

Noa slapped his hand over his little brother's mouth. "I'll come with you to get it!" he said loudly, dragging the black-haired teen out of the room.

Otogi quirked an eyebrow. "So what's in the briefcase, Kaiba?"

"None of your business, Dice Boy."

"I bet you have a huge gay porn collection in there or something, you kinky bastard."

Shizuka gave the green-eyed game lover a disapproving look. "Don't say that… it's not nice."

"But it's probably true!"

Yami shrugged. "Seto doesn't need porn. He has me." The young CEO grumbled and pinched his lover's arm for the comment, which earned him a slap on the hand in return.

Honda shuddered. "TMI… way major TMI."

Yugi crossed his arms and sat back. "All I can say is you should be glad you've never been caught up in a late night mind linked session with those two." Yami resisted the urge to tell his aibou that he wouldn't have asked Anzu out if it weren't for a "mind linked session," as he didn't think his other half would want that sort of info.

"Oh ewww… I think I'm gonna barf," Jou complained.

"Oh eww what?" Mokuba asked, walking back into the room with a silver wrapped box in hand and Noa following close behind. The brothers sat back down on the sofa and Mokuba began tearing into the gift wrap right away.

Seto frowned and pulled Yami to one side for a better view of his little brother. "If you don't like it Mokuba…"

"It was Seto's idea. And happy birthday, Mokuba," Yami said, cutting his lover off before he said too much. _Kai-baby, for the last time…_

_If he hates it… I'm dumping you and never speaking to you again!_

_Don't say that. Relax._ Yami tried taking some of Seto's anxiety into himself. _He'll…_

Mokuba suddenly squealed as he unwrapped the photo album and flipped it open. "Wow… oh my God… Setoooo!! This is so awesome!" He almost sniffled as he ran his fingertips over a photo of his brother smiling contentedly as he sat next to Yami, the bright blue of the ocean and sky reflecting in his eyes. "You really did have a good time, didn't you? I'm so glad… it means so much to me. And thanks for putting this together, Yami… don't you deny it! I know this was your idea since you asked me what I wanted right before you left, and frankly… Seto doesn't think of this sort of thing, you know? He probably wanted to get me more video games."

Seto frowned slightly, even though he knew Mokuba had read him right. Upon spotting the change in his brother's mood, Mokuba quickly stood up and jogged over to the recliner to give both Seto and Yami a hug. "It's okay, Nii-sama. I love it. It's the best birthday gift I've ever received. Thank you so, so, so much!" he said softly.

Yami nodded. "And I left the last few pages blank, Mokuba. Once we develop the pictures I'm taking today, you can add the ones you like into the back of the album."

Over on the sofa, Noa had picked up the album and began thumbing through it. "These really are nice pictures… good job, Yami."

"Is it okay if I look over your shoulder? Please?" Anzu begged, leaning over Yugi a little to get a better look at the album. Yugi blushed a little in response.

"Oh, I'd like to see it too," Shizuka said, and then everyone else began clamoring for a peek.

Mokuba broke off the hug and turned to Noa. "Onii-chan, can you put the album on the coffee table? And we'll start over from the first page, all right everyone?"

Yami smiled at Mokuba and Noa and all of Yugi-tachi as they gathered around to look at the pictures together. _See, Baby? I told you._

_Whatever. Shut up._ But the CEO's eyes were bright as he watched his brother excitedly reading aloud the comments Yami had thoughtfully included in the memo area.

_Make me._

_All right._ Seto suddenly pushed Yami off his lap, stood up, and threw the shocked ex-spirit over his shoulder. "If you guys are going out for coffee later, just make sure to bring Noa and Mokuba home at a decent hour, okay?" the young billionaire called out before hauling a somewhat indignant Yami out of the room.

Stunned into a moment of silence, Yugi-tachi just gaped at the departing couple. Then Jou began stammering, "Wait a minute… Are… are they…"

Noa nodded sagely. "Don't worry, you can't hear anything from all the way down here."

There was a rather muffled thump somewhere in the vicinity of the stairs. Mokuba didn't even bat a lash as he added, "Unless they don't make it all the way upstairs."

"Maybe we should leave for coffee early," Bakura nervously suggested.

"Does early equal now?" asked Honda, already standing up.

"Now is good," Jou agreed, also hopping to his feet.

"We can't leave right now. Your shoes and jackets are all in the foyer, and we can't go that way, just in case," Mokuba explained as he reached for the remote to the stereo system. "Give them a half-hour or so." Then he turned the music on and gave his friends a sly smile.

* * *

OWARI

Additional Author's Notes (regarding how this chapter came up):   
- I'd like to say that Seto was offering the use of his limo because he's a nice guy :p And if you believe that, I have some wonderful prime oceanfront property in Kansas to sell you. If you haven't figured out the real reason... well, it'll be obvious once the sequel to this story is written :D  
- Well, that's it for this one folks! But don't be shy... hit that review button! Thanks to everyone who stuck through this story and gave me feedback. I know it was a bit of a struggle (for me!) but thanks for hanging in there. It's very much appreciated :)


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